1H 
: '  •', 

C633L 
1900 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


15 


Bull.  U.  S.  F.  C.  1899.     (To  face  page  241.) 


PLATE  28. 


THE   SAILING   SMACK   -BAR   BEL,"   OF   ROCKLAND. 


THE   FIRST   STEAM   SMACK  TO   CARRY  LOBSTERS    IN   A  WELL. 


THE  LOBSTER  FISHERY  OF  MAIM-;. 


BY  JOHN  N.  COBB, 

Agent  of  the  United  States  Fish  Commission. 


For  some  years  past  the  condition  of  the  lobster  fishery  of  Xew  England  has 
excited  the  earnest  attention  of  all  interested  in  the  preservation  of  one  of  the  most 
valuable  crustaceans  of  our  country.  In  the  State  of  Maine,  particularly,  where  the 
industry  is  of  the  first  importance,  the  steady  decline  from  year  to  year  has  caused 
the  gravest  fears,  and  incessant  efforts  have  been  made  by  the  United  States  Fish 
Commission,  in  conjunction  with  the  State  Fish  Commission  of  Maine,  to  overcome 
this  decline.  This  paper  presents  the  results  of  an  investigation  by  the  writer  in 
1899.  All  statistics,  when  not  otherwise  stated,  are  for  the  calendar  year  1898. 

I  am  indebted  to  so  many  dealers,  fishermen,  and  others  for  information  given 
and  courtesies  extended  that  it  is  impossible  to  mention  them  by  name,  and  I  now 
extend  to  all  my  most  sincere  thanks  for  their  many  kindnesses. 

NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  THE  LOBSTER. 

Although  the  lobster  has  been  of  great  value  to  the  New  England  States  and  the 
British  Provinces  as  a  food  commodity,  but  little  was  known  of  its  life-history  and 
habits  until  within  the  last  few  years.  To  this  ignorance  has  been  due  quite  largely 
the  peculiar  (and  in  some  instances  useless)  laws  enacted  by  some  States.  The 
gradual  enlightenment  of  the  public  on  this  subject  has  borne  good  fruit,  however,  and 
most  of  the  present  State  laws  are  founded  on  substantial  facts  instead  of  theories. 
Prof.  Francis  H.  Herrick  has  been  one  of  the  most  prominent  of  the  investigators, 
and  his  summary  of  the  present  knowledge  on  this  subject  is  quoted  below  from  the 
Fish  Commission  Bulletin  for  1897 : 

(1)  The  fishery  is  declining,  and  this  decline  is  due  to  the  persistence  with  which  it  has  been 
conducted  during  the  last  twenty-five  years.     There  is  no  evidence  that  the  animal  is  being  driven  to 
the  wall  by  any  new  or  unusual  disturbance  of  the  forces  of  nature. 

(2)  The  lobster  is  migratory  only  to  the  extent  of  moving  to  and  from  the  shore,  and  is,  therefore, 
practically  a  sedentary  animal.     Its  movements  are  governed  chiefly  by  the  abundance  of  food  and 

the  temperature  of  the  water. 

(3)  The  female  may  be  impregnated  or  provided  with  a  supply  of  sperm  for  future  use  by  the 
male  at  any  time,  and  the  sperm,  which  is  deposited  in  an  external  pouch  or  sperm  receptacle,  has 
remarkable  vitality.     Copulation  occurs  commonly  in  spring,  and  the  eggs  are  fertilized  outside  the 
body. 

(4)  Female  lobsters  become  sexually  mature  when  from  8  to  12  inches  long.     The  majority  of  all 
lobsters  10A  inches  long  are  mature.     It  is  rare  to  find  a  female  less  than  8  inches  long  which  has 
spawned  or  one  over  12  inches  in  length  which  has  never  borne  eggs. 

(5)  The  spawning  interval  is  a  biennial  one,  two  years  elapsing  between  each  period  of  egg-laying. 

(6)  The  spawning  period  for  the  majority  of  lobsters  is  July  and  August.     A  few  lay  eggs  at 
other  seasons  of  the  year— in  the  fall,  winter,  and  probably  in  the  spring. 

(7)  The  period  of  spawning  lasts  about  six  weeks,  and  fluctuates  slightly  from  year  to  year. 
The  individual  variation  in  the  time  of  extrusion  of  ova  is  explained  by  the  long  pi-riod  during  which 

F.  C.  B.  18JW-16  211 


242  BULLETIN   OP   THE    UNITED   STATES    FISH    COMMISSION. 

the  eggs  attain  the  limits  of  growth.     Anything  which  affects  the  vital  condition  of  the  female  during 
this  period  of  two  years  may  affect  the  time  of  spawning. 

(8)  The  spawning  period  in  the  middle  and  eastern  districts  of  Maine  is  two  weeks  later  than  in 
Vineyard  Sound,  Massachusetts.     In  1893  71  per  cent  of  eggs  examined  from  the  coast  of  Maine  were 
extruded  in  the  first  half  of  August. 

(9)  The  number  of  eggs  laid  varies  with  the  size  of  the  animal.     The  law  of  production  may  be 
arithmetically  expressed  as  follows:  The  number  of  eggs  produced  at  each  reproductive  period  varies  in  a 
geometrical  series,  while  the  length  of  lobsters  producing  these  eggs  varies  in  an  arithmetical  series.    According 
to  this  law  an  8-inch  lobster  produces  5,000  eggs,  a  lobster  10  inches  long  10,000,  a  12-inch  lobster 
20,000.     This  high  rate  of  production  is  not  maintained  beyond  the  length  of  14  to  16  inches.     The 
largest  number  of  eggs  recorded  for  a  female  is  97,440.     A  lobster  10|  inches  long  produces,  on  the 
average,  nearly  13,000  eggs. 

(10)  The  period  of  incubation  of  summer  eggs  at  Woods  Hole  is  about  ten  months,  July  15- 
August  15  to  May  15-June  15.     The  hatching  of  a  single  brood  lasts  about  a  week,  owing  to  the 
slightly  unequal  rate  of  development  of  individual  eggs. 

(11)  The  hatching  period  varies  also  with  the  time  of  egg-laying,  lobsters  having  rarely  been 
known  to  hatch  in  November  and  February. 

(12)  Taking  all  things  into  consideration,  the  sexes  appear  about  equally  divided,  though  the 
relative  numbers  caught  in  certain  places  at  certain  times  of  the  year  may  be  remarkably  variable. 

(13)  Molting  commonly  occurs  from  June  to  September,  but  there  is  no  month  of  the  year  in 
which  soft  lobsters  may  not  be  caught. 

(14)  The  male  probably  molts  oftener  than  the  female. 

(15)  In  the  adult  female  the  molting  like  the  spawning  period  is  a  biennial  one,  but  the  two 
periods  are  one  year  apart.     As  a  rule,  the  female  lays  her  eggs  in  July,  carries  them  until  the  follow- 
ing summer,  when  they  hatch;  then  she  molts.     Possibly  a  second  molt  may  occur  in  the  fall,  winter, 
or  spring,  but  it  is  not  probable,  and  molting  just  before  the  production  of  new  eggs  is  rare. 

(16)  The  egg-bearing  female,  with  eggs  removed,  weighs  less  than  the  female  of  the  same  length 
without  eggs. 

(17)  The  new  shell  becomes  thoroughly  hard  in  the  course  of  from  six  to  eight  weeks,  the  length 
of  time  requisite  for  this  varying  with  the  food  and  other  conditions  of  the  animal. 

(18)  The  young,  after  hatching,  cut  loose  from  their  mother,  rise  to  the  surface  of  the  ocean,  and 
lead  a  free  life  as  pelagic  larvae.     The  first  larva  is  about  one-third  of  an  inch  long  (7.84  min.).     The 
swimming  period  lasts  from  six  to  eight  weeks,  or  until  the  lobster  has  molted  five  or  at  most  six 
times,  and  is  three-fifths  of  an  inch  long,  when  it  sinks  to  the  bottom.     It  now  travels  toward  the 
shore,  and,  if  fortunate,  establishes  itself  in  the  rock  piles  of  inlets  of  harbors,  where  it  remains  until 
driven  out  by  ice  in  the  fall  or  early  winter.     The  smallest,  now  from  1  to  3  inches  long,  go  down 
among  the  loose  stones  which  are  often  exposed  at  low  tides.     At  a  later  period,  when  3  to  4  inches 
long,  they  come  out  of  their  retreats  and  explore  the  bottom,  occasionally  hiding  or  burrowing  under 
stones.     Young  lobsters  have  also  been  found  in  eelgrass  and  on  sandy  bottoms  in  shallow  water. 

(19)  The  food  of  the  larva  consists  of  minute  pelagic  organisms.     The  food  of  the  older  and  adult 
stages  is  largely  of  animal  origin  with  but  slight  addition  of  vegetable  material,  consisting  chiefly  of 
fish  and  invertebrates  of  various  kinds.     The  large  and  strong  also  prey  upon  the  small  and  weak. 

(20)  The  increase  in  length  at  each  molt  is  about  15.3  per  cent.     During  the  first  year  the  lobster 
molts  from  14  to  17  times.     At  10£  inches  the  lobster  has  molted  25  to  26  times  and  is  about  5  years  old. 

As  the  purpose  of  this  article  is  to  deal  more  particularly  with  the  commercial 
side  of  the  lobster  question  all  interested  more  particularly  in  the  natural  history  of 
the  animal  are  referred  to  the  following  works: 

The  Fisheries  and  Fishery  Industries  of  the  United  States,  sec.  i,  pp.  780-812. 

The  American  Lobster,  by  Francis  H.  Herrick.     Bull.  U.  S.  Fish  Com.  for  1895,  pp.  1-252. 

HISTORY   OF   THE  FISHERY. 

Ever  since  the  early  Puritan  settlers  first  learned  from  the  Indians  how  to  utilize 
the  lobster,  it  has  been  one  of  the  most  prized  articles  of  food  in  the  New  England 
States.  The  early  town  records  of  Massachusetts  contain  frequent  references  to  this 
valuable  crustacean,  and  efforts  were  made  at  an  early  day  to  conserve  the  supply. 


THE    LOBSTER    FISHERY    OF    MAINE.  243 

At  first,  as  most  settlers  lived  on  or  near  the  coast,  each  family  could  easily 
secure  its  own  supply,  but  as  the  settlements  gradually  extended  farther  inland  this 
became  inconvenient,  and  it  soon  became  customary  for  certain  persons  living  on  the 
coast  to  attend  to  supplying  the  wants  of  the  inland  settlers,  and  thus  the  commercial 
fishery  was  established. 

The  coast  of  Maine  is  very  favorably  situated  for  this  fishery.  In  its  eastern  and 
middle  sections  the  shore  is  bold  and  rocky,  while  it  is  cut  up  by  large  deep  inlets 
and  coves  which  are  studded  with  numerous  islands,  large  and  small,  and  by  bold 
rocky  promontories.  Groups  of  islands  are  also  numerous  farther  off  shore,  like  the 
Fox  and  Matinicus  Islands,  Deer  and  Mount  Desert  islands.  Large  and  small  fresh- 
water rivers  are  numerous  and  the  granite  bottoms  of  these  channels  and  inlets  form 
admirable  breeding-grounds.  In  the  western  end  the  shores  are  not  so  rocky,  being 
broken  frequently  with  sandy  reaches,  while  the  rivers  are  small  and  comparatively 
shallow.  West  of  Casco  Bay  the  islands  are  infrequent.  As  a  result  of  this  confor- 
mation of  coast  the  best  fishing-grounds  in  Maine  are  between  Cape  Elizabeth  and 
Quoddy  Head. 

As  early  as  1830  smacks  from  Boston  and  Connecticut  visited  Harpswell  for  fresh 

lobsters,  and  it  is  very  probable  that  even  before  this  time  they  had  visited  the  points 

farther  west  in  the  State,  as  the  history  of  the  fishery,  so  far  as  known,  shows  that  it 

i        gradually  worked  to  the  eastward.    This  was  doubtless  owing  to  the  fact  that  the 

<£      trend  of  settlement  in  the  early  part  of  the  century  was  in  that  direction.    It  is  also 

probable  that,  for  some  time  before  the  people  along  the  coast  took  up  the  fishery,  the 

(^      smackrnen  themselves  did  their  own  fishing.    This  is  easily  believed  when  the  great 

abundance  is  considered.    It  is  known  that  this  was  done  in  Massachusetts. 

During  summer  the  lobsters  were  very  common  close  in  shore  and  could  easily  be 
gaffed  by  boys  at  low  water;  but  this  could  hardly  be  called  a  regular  fishery. 

The  regular  fishery  began  with  the  use  of  hoop-net  pots,  which  were  generally  of 

very  rude  construction,  and  the  facility  with  which  the  lobsters  escaped  from  them 

v      led  to  their  disuse  soon  after  the  lath  pots  began  to  be  introduced.   The  lath  pots  were 

L    essentially  the  same  in  construction  as  those  now  used  on  the  coast  of  Maine,  and  each 

fcj  v>pair  of  fishermen  then  handled  between  25  and  50. 

V  Up  to  about  1865  it  was  the  custom  to  set  the  traps  singly,  and  two  men  were 

usually  employed  in  the  fishery,  one  to  haul  up,  empty  the  pot,  rebait  it,  and  drop  it 
%>     overboard,  while  the  other  handled  the  boat.    In  the  latter  year  it  was  discovered 
J     that  by  setting  the  pots  on  trawls  more  pots  could  be  set  and  only  one  man  would  be 
^     required  to  work  them.    This  invention,  which  was  claimed  by  several  different 
persons,  proved  quite  successful  for  a  while,  but  after  a  time,  when  the  supply  of 
lobsters  began  to  drop  off,  better  results  were  secured  by  scattering  the  pots  over  a 
greater  area  and  shifting  their  position  each  time  they  were  fished,  which  was  very 
easily  done.    As  a  result  of  this  the  use  of  trawls  decreased  very  rapidly. 

The  following  facts  regarding  the  early  lobster  fishery  of  Maine  are  from  the 
Fishery  Industries  of  the  United  States,  section  v,  vol.  u,  pp.  700,  701 : 

In  1841  Capt.  E.  M.  Oakes  began  to  carry  lobsters  from  Cundy's  Harbor  and  Horse  Island  Harbor, 
Harpswell,  to  Mr.  Eben  Weeks,  at  East  Boston.  Ho  was  then  running  a  well-smack,  named  the 
Swampscott,  of  41  tons,  old  measurement.  The  season  extended  from  the  1st  of  March  until  about  the 
4th  of  July,  after  which  time  the  lobsters  were  supposed  to  be  unfit  for  eating;  the  black  lobsters,  or 
sbedder.s,  were  even  considered  poisonous.  During  this  season  of  four  months  Captain  Oakes  made 
ten  trips,  carrying  in  all  35,000,  by  count.  He  continued  in  this  trade  about  six  years,  taking  the 
combined  catch  of  about  five  or  six  fishermen.  At  this  same  period  the  smack  Hulda  li.  Hall,  50  tons) 


244  BULLETIN   OF   THE    UNITED    STATES    FISH    COMMISSION. 

of  New  London,  Conn.,  Captain  Chapell,  AVUS  carrying  lobsters  from  Cape  Porpoise,  Gloucester, 
Ipswich  Bay,  and  occasionally  Provincetown,  to  Boston,  making  15  trips  in  the  season  of  four 
months,  and  takiug  about  3,500  lobsters  each  trip.  Captain  Chapell  was  supplied  with  lobsters  by  four 
men  at  Cape  Porpoise,  and  by  the  same  number  at  both  Gloucester  and  Ipswich  Bay.  For  four  mouths 
following  the  close  of  the  lobster  season  on  the  Maine  coast,  or  from  July  4  until  November,  Captain 
Chapell  ran  his  smack  with  lobsters  to  New  York,  obtaining  most  of  his  supplies  at  Provincetown. 

In  1847  Captain  Oakes  purchased  the  smack  Josephine,  with  which  he  began  running  to  Johnson  & 
Young's  establishment,  at  Boston,  in  1818,  buying  a  portion  of  his  lobsters  in  the  Penobscot  Bay 
region,  where  this  fishery  had  just  been  started.  The  quantity  of  lobsters  carried  by  him  that  year 
was  40, 000.  The  prices  paid  to  the  fishermen  for  smack  lobsters  was  as  follows :  During  March,  3  cents 
each;  April,  2i  cents;  May  and  June,  2  cents.  In  1850,  he  began  to  obtain  supplies  from  the  Muscle 
Ridges,  leaving  Harpswell  entirely,  on  account  of  the  small  size  of  the  lobsters  then  being  caught 
there.  At  this  time  the  average  weight  of  the  lobsters  marketed  was  about  3  pounds,  and  all  under 
10J  inches  in  length  were  rejected.  The  traps  were  made  of  the  same  size  as  at  present,  but  were 
constructed  of  round  oak  sticks,  and  with  four  hoops  or  bows  to  support  the  upper  framework.  A 
string  of  bait,  consisting  mainly  of  flounders  and  sculpins,  was  tied  into  each  trap.  About  50  traps 
were  used  by  each  fisherman,  and  they  were  hauled  once  a  day.  The  warps  or  buoy  lines,  by  which 
the  traps  were  lowered  and  haule;!,  were  cut  in  12-fathom  lengths.  Lobsters  were  so  abundant  at  the 
Muscle  Ridges,  at  this  period,  that  four  r  icn  could  fully  supply  Captain  Oakes  with  lobsters  every  trip. 
In  the  course  of  ten  days  each  man  would  obtain  between  1,200  and  1,500  marketable  lobsters.  In 
Captain  Oakes's  opinion,  the  Muscle  Ridges  have  furnished  the  most  extensive  lobster  fishery  of  the 
Maine  coast.  He  ran  to  this  locality  until  1874. 

Capt.  S.  S.  Davis,  of  South  Saint  George,  states  that  about  1864,  when  he  first  began  buying 
lobsters  at  the  Muscle  Ridges,  three  men,  tending  40  to  50  pots  each,  caught  all  the  count  lobsters  he 
could  carry  to  market  in  his  smack.  He  could  load  5,000  lobsters  at  a  time,  and  averaged  a  trip  in 
7  to  9  days.  This  traffic  continued  for  six  or  seven  years.  In  1879,  Captain  Davis  bought  from  15  men 
in  the  same  locality,  and  at  times  was  obliged  to  buy  also  of  others  in  order  to  make  up  a  load. 

The  fishery  at  North  Haven  began  in  1848,  but  did  not  increase  so  rapidly  at  first 
as  in  sections  farther  west,  as  the  smacks  would  only  take  the  medium-sized  lobsters, 
fearing  that  the  largest  would  not  be  able  to  stand  the  trip.  At  Matinicus  Island 
tlie  fishing  began  in  1868.  Jn  1852  the  people  on  Deer  Island  began  the  fishery,  and 
as  the  smackmen  made  frequent  visits  the  business  rapidly  increased.  The  establish- 
ment of  a  cannery  at  Oceanville,  about  1860,  also  caused  a  considerable  development 
of  the  fishery.  The  fishery  was  started  at  Isle  au  Haute  about  1855,  and  at  Swan 
Island  in  the  early  fifties. 

The  canning  of  lobsters  was  first  carried  on  at  Eastport  in  1842,  but  the  fishery 
was  not  taken  up  until  about  1853,  as  it  was  supposed  there  were  no  lobsters  in  the 
neighborhood.  The  supplies  for  these  canneries  previous  to  the  inception  of  the 
fishery  were  obtained  by  smacks  running  to  the  westward. 

For  some  years  the  fishery  was  only  prosecuted  in  the  late  spring,  summer,  and 
early  fall  months.  Just  when  winter  fishing  began  in  the  State  is  doubtful;  but 
according  to  Capt.  Charles  Black,  of  Orr  Island,  it  began  in  that  region  in  1845  at 
Harpswell.  Previously  the  fishermen  had  the  impression  that  lobsters  could  not  be 
successfully  caught  earlier  than  March  20. 

During  the  summer  of  1845  the  captains  of  the  well-smacks  of  New  London, 
Conn.,  who  bought  most  of  the  lobsters  in  that  vicinity,  induced  Charles  E.  Clay, 
Samuel  Orr,  and  a  few  others  to  fish  during  the  winter,  and  they  set  their  traps  about 
the  same  distance  from  the  shore  that  the  fishermen  do  at  present,  and  in  almost  the 
same  depth  of  water.  The  smackmen  paid  them  $4  for  100  lobsters.  The  next  winter 
the  fishermen  refused  to  sell  by  number  and  wanted  $1.25  per  100  pounds.  The 
smackmen  had  no  objection  to  buy  them  by  weight,  but  refused  to  pay  more  than 
$1.12  per  100  pounds.  This  was  accepted,  and  for  several  years  the  prices  were  from 
$*1.12  to  $1.25  per  100  pounds. 


U.  S.  F.  C.  180$.     (To  face  page  244.) 


PLATE  29. 


THE   STEAM   SMACK   •   MINA  AND   LIZZIE    '   LANDING   HER  CARGO  AT    PORTLAND 


FLEET  OF   LOBSTER   BOATS  IN   HARBOR  AT   YORK   ISLAND 


THE    LOBSTER    FISHERY    OF    MAINE  245 

Comparatively  few  traps  were  necessary  then,  as  when  the  weather  would  permit 
the  fishermen  to  tend  their  traps  they  would  catch  from  20  to  30  lobsters  daily,  and 
frequently,  when  the  traps  were  hauled,  they  would  find  several  lobsters  clinging  to 
some  part  of  the  pots.  The  bait  was  very  plentiful  and  caught  with  spears. 

The  lobsters  were  placed  in  cars  at  that  time,  after  having  been  "plugged"  to 
keep  them  from  injuring  each  other.  The  plugs  were  almost  1  £  inches  long,  flat  on 
one  side,  round  on  the  other,  and  with  a  sharp  point.  Plugging  has  since  been 
discontinued,  as  the  trifling  injury  the  lobsters  did  each  other  was  nothing  compared  to 
the  value  of  cans  of  meat  spoiled  by  one  of  these  pine  plugs  being  boiled  with  it. 

THE   FISHING-GROUNDS. 

It  is-  difficult  to  estimate  the  comparative  value  of  the  grounds  in  the  State,  owing 
to  the  movements  of  the  lobsters.  In  the  early  spring,  in  April  or  May,  as  the  waters 
in  the  bays  and  rivers  warm  up,  the  lobsters  come  into  the  comparatively  shallow 
waters.  They  remain  here  until  late  in  the  fall,  going  back  to  the  ocean  or  deep 
waters  of  the  bays  in  either  October  or  November.  They  love  to  congregate  on  rocky 
bottom,  and  pots  set  on  such  bottom  will  frequently  make  large  catches,  while  those 
on  sandy  or  muddy  ground  will  catch  almost  nothing.  In  the  early  years  of  the  fishery 
they  came  in  very  close  in  great  numbers,  and  could  frequently  be  taken  at  low  water 
in  dip  nets  or  by  gaffs;  but  they  are  now  found  in  summer  in  depths  of  from  3  to  15 
fathoms  in  the  numerous  passages  between  the  islands  and  the  mainland,  and  the 
lower  reaches  of  the  bays  and  rivers.  For  a  number  of  years  winter  fishing  was  not 
prosecuted,  but  now  it  is  a  very  important  business.  In  winter  the  pots  are  generally 
set  in  the  ocean  at  depths  of  from  15  to  50  fathoms. 

As  the  greatest  part  of  the  coast  line  is  cut  up  by  numerous  bays  and  rivers,  and 
these  are  dotted  with  large  and  small  islands,  they  form  admirable  breeding-grounds 
for  the  lobster.  Some  of  the  best  locations  are  in  Little  Machias,  Machias,  Englishman, 
Pleasant  Point,  Chandler,  Narragaugus,  Muscongus,  Linekiu,  Sheepscot,  and  Casco 
bays,  while  the  fishing  is  especially  good  around  the  numerous  islands  in  the  lower 
Peuobscot  and  Blue  Hill  bays,  and  at  Monhegan  and  the  Matinicus  islands  in  the 
ocean.  The  Sheepscot  Kiver  is  also  a  favorite  resort  for  lobsters  during  the  warm 
months,  while  in  the  winter  they  retire  to  the  waters  of  the  bay,  where  the  fishing  can 
be  carried  on  very  easily.  At  most  of  the  other  grounds  the  winter  fishing  is  carried 
on  in  the  ocean,  as  the  lobsters  do  not  usually  remain  in  the  bays.  Most  of  the  fishing 
in  Casco  Bay  is  carried  on  at  the  eastern  end  among  the  numerous  islands.  The 
earliest  fishing  of  which  we  have  any  definite  record  was  carried  on  from  the  township  of 
Harpswell  on  this  bay.  This  region  has  held  its  own  remarkably  well,  as  in  1898  more 
than  twice  as  many  lobsters  were  taken  by  fishermen  from  this  township  than  from  any 
other  town  in  the  State. 

The  upper  portions  of  Frenchman,  Blue  Hill,  and  Penobscot  bays  were  formerly 
very  important  grounds,  but  are  now  almost  exhausted.  These  regions  were  especially 
noted  for  large  lobsters.  In  August,  1891,  Mr.  F.  W.  Collins,  a  Kockland  dealer, 
had  50  lobsters  in  his  establishment  which  weighed  from  10  to  184  pounds  apiece. 
About  half  of  these  came  from  Castine,  in  upper  Penobscot  Bay,  and  the  remainder 
from  Blue  Hill  Falls,  in  the  upper  Blue  Hill  Bay. 

The  grounds  in  York  County,  at  the  western  end  of  the  State,  were  formerly  quite 
prolific,  but  the  excessive  fishing  of  the  last  thirty  years  has  very  badly  depleted  them. 


246  BULLETIN    OF    THE    UNITED    STATES    FISH    COMMISSION. 

THE  FISHING   SEASON. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  fishery  it  was  customary  to  fish  only  during  the  spring 
and  fall.  When  the  canneries  went  into  operation  they  usually  worked  during  the 
spring,  early  summer,  and  fall,  and  as  they  furnished  a  ready  market  for  all  the 
lobsters  that  could  be  caught  this  came  to  be  the  principal  season.  At  that  time 
it  was  not  thought  possible  to  do  any  winter  fishing,  owing  to  the  cold  and  stormy 
weather  and  the  fact  that  the  fishing  had  to  be  carried  on  generally  in  the  open  sea. 

In  1878  a  law  was  passed  limiting  the  canning  season  to  the  period  between 
April  1  and  August  1.  This  season  was  frequently  changed  by  subsequent  enact- 
ments, but  rarely  covered  a  longer  period  than  that  fixed  in  the  first  law.  As  at 
certain  places  on  the  coast  the  canneries  were  the  only  market  for  lobsters  the  fishery 
would  cease  as  soon  as  the  canneries  stopped.  At  other  places,  which  were  visited 
by  the  smacks,  some  of  the  fishermen  would  continue  fishing  after  the  canneries  closed, 
selling  to  the  smackmen.  At  various  times  a  close  season  was  in  force,  but  at  present 
there  is  no  limitation  as  to  season.  The  canning  industry  in  the  State  practically 
ceased  to  exist  in  1 895,  and  since  then  the  whole  catch  has  had  to  be  marketed  in  a  live 
or  boiled  condition.  The  smack  fleet  had  been  gradually  increasing  as  the  live  lobster 
trade  extended,  and  by  the  time  the  canneries  closed  permanently  they  had  extended 
their  visits  to  every  point  where  lobsters  could  be  had  in  any  number. 

At  present  the  majority  of  the  fishermen  usually  haul  out  their  traps  during  July 
and  August  and  put  them  in  good  order  for  the  fall  fishing.  During  the  excessively 
cold  portion  of  the  winter  most  of  the  pots  are  taken  out,  but  some  fishing  is  done 
during  every  month  of  the  year. 

The  fishermen  on  Monhegan  Island,  about  12  miles  southeast  of  Pemaquid  Point, 
agree  among  themselves  to  put  no  lobster  pots  in  the  water  until  about  the  1st  of 
January.  There  is  then  no  restriction  on  fishing  until  about  May  15,  when  all  pots 
are  hauled  out  and  no  more  fishing  is  done  until  the  season  begins  again.  During 
this  season  the  law  in  regard  to  short  lobsters  is  rigidly  enforced  by  the  fishermen 
themselves.  Should  any  outsider  visit  this  island  during  the  close  time  established 
by  the  fishermen,  and  attempt  to  fish,  he  is  quietly  informed  of  the  agreement  and 
requested  to  conform  to  it.  Should  he  persist  in  working  after  this  warning,  his  pots 
are  apt  to  mysteriously  disappear.  As  lobsters  bring  a  much  higher  price  in  winter 
than  in  summer,  the  Monhegan  fishermen  reap  a  rich  reward,  as  the  lobsters  are  very 
numerous,  owing  to  the  1\  months  close  time.  On  the  first  day  the  fishermen  hauled 
in  1900  one  man  secured  293,  for  which  he  received  19  cents  apiece.  The  smallest 
number  secured  by  anyone  was  135. 

FISHING  APPLIANCES. 

In  most  large  fisheries  for  certain  species  numerous  changes  occur  at  intervals  in 
the  apparatus  used,  owing  to  changed  conditions,  etc.,  but  in  the  lobster  industry 
changes  have  been  few,  and  at  an  early  period  the  fishermen  fixed  upon  a  uniform 
apparatus,  which  has  been  in  use  ever  since  with  but  slight  modifications,  and  these 
generally  only  temporary. 

The  earliest  form  of  apparatus  used  to  any  considerable  extent  was  the  hoop  net. 
This  consisted  generally  of  a  hoop  or  ring  of  about  i-inch  round  iron,  or  a  wooden 
hogshead  hoop,  from  2£  to  3  feet  or  more  in  diameter.  To  this  hoop  was  attached  a 
net  bag  with  a  depth  of  18  to  24  inches  as  a  bottom,  while  two  wooden  half  hoops 
were  bent  above  it,  crossing  at  right  angles  in  the  center  about  12  or  15  inches  above 


THE    LOBSTER    FISHERY    OF    MAINE.  247 

the  plane  of  the  hoop.  Sometimes  these  half  hoops  were  replaced  by  short  cords. 
The  bait  was  suspended  from  the  point  of  crossing  of  the  two  wooden  hoops  and  the 
line  for  raising  and  lowering  the  pots  was  attached  at  the  same  place.  As  there  was 
no  way  of  closing  the  mouth  of  the  pot  after  a  lobster  had  entered,  these  nets  had  to 
be  constantly  watched,  the  lobster  being  in  the  habit  of  retiring  after  he  had  finished 
his  repast.  In  using  these  the  fisherman  would  generally  go  out  in  the  evening  and 
at  short  intervals  he  would  haul  in  his  nets  and  remove  whatever  lobsters  they  might 
contain.  The  constant  attention  necessary  in  attending  to  these  hoop  nets  led  the 
fishermen  to  devise  an  apparatus  which  would  hold  the  lobsters  after  once  entering 
and  would  require  only  occasional  visits,  and  "lath  pots"  were  found  to  fulfill  all 
requirements.  They  acquire  the  name  from  the  use  of  common  laths  in  their  construc- 
tion. They  are  usually  about  4  feet  in  length,  with  a  width  of  about  2  feet,  a  height  of 
18  inches,  and  in  Maine  are  usually  of  semicylindrical  form. 

The  following  description  of  this  apparatus  is  from  the  Fishery  Industries  of 
the  United  States,  sec.  V,  -ol.  n,  p.  666: 

The  framework  of  the  bottom  consists  of  three  strips  of  wood,  either  hemlock,  spruce,  or  pine 
(the  first  mentioned  being  the  most  durable),  a  little  longer  than  the  width  of  the  pot,  about 2f  inches 
wide  and  1  inch  thick.  In  the  ends  of  each  of  the  outer  strips  a  hole  is  bored  to  receive  the  ends  of  a 
small  branch  of  pliable  wood,  which  is  bent  into  a  regular  semicircular  curve.  These  hoops  are  made 
of  branches  of  spruce  or  hemlock,  or  of  hardwood  saplings,  such  as  maple,  birch,  or  ash,  generally 
retaining  the  bark.  Three  of  these  similar  frames,  straight  below  and  curved  above,  constitute  the 
framework  of  each  pot,  one  to  stand  at  each  end  and  one  in  the  center.  The  narrow  strips  of  wood, 
generally  ordinary  house  laths  of  spruce  or  pine,  which  form  the  covering,  are  nailed  lengthwise  to 
them,  with  interspaces  between  about  equal  to  the  width  of  the  laths.  On  the  bottom  the  laths  are 
sometimes  nailed  on  the  outside  and  sometimes  on  the  inside  of  the  cross  pieces.  The  door  is  formed 
by  three  or  four  of  the  laths  running  the  entire  length  near  the  top.  The  door  is  hinged  on  by  means 
of  small  leather  strips,  and  is  fastened  by  a  single  wooden  button  in  the  center,  or  by  two  buttons, 
one  at  each  end.  The  openings  into  the  pot  *  *  *  are  two  in  number,  one  at  each  end,  are 
generally  knit  of  coarse  twine  and  have  a  mesh  between  three-fourths  of  an  inch  and  1  inch  square. 
They  are  funnel-shaped,  with  one  side  shorter  than  the  other,  and  at  the  larger  end  have  the  same 
diameter  as  the  framework.  The  smaller  and  inner  end  measures  about  6  inches  in  diameter  and  is 
held  open  by  means  of  a  wire  ring  or  wooden  hoop.  The  funnels  are  fastened  by  the  larger  ends  to 
the  end  frames  of  the  pot,  with  the  shorter  side  uppermost,  so  that  when  they  are  in  place  they  lead 
obliquely  upward  into  the  pot  instead  of  horizontally.  The  inner  ends  are  secured  in  position  by  one 
or  two  cords  extending  to  the  center  frame.  The  funnels  are  about  11  or  12  inches  deep,  and  therefore 
extend  about  halfway  to  the  center  of  the  pot.  They  taper  rapidly  and  form  a  strongly  inclined  plane, 
up  which  the  lobsters  must  climb  in  their  search  for  the  bait.  A  two-strand  manila  twine  is  most 
commonly  used  for  the  funnels.  Cotton  is  also  used,  but  is  more  expensive  and  less  durable. 

A  change  in  the  shape  of  the  funnel  was  first  made  at  Matinicus  shortly  before 
1890.  This  has  been  called  the  "patent  head."  Large  lobsters  are  said  to  always  go 
to  the  top  and  small  ones  to  the  bottom  of  the  pots.  By  going  to  the  top  in  the  "old- 
head"  pot  large  lobsters  made  their  escape  through  the  hole,  but  in  the  pots  with 
"patent  heads"  instead  of  finding  their  way  through  the  hole  the  big  lobsters  slide 
over  it.  The  "patent  head"  has  not  been  used  to  any  extent,  however.  The  sketch 
shown  on  the  following  page  gives  a  good  idea  of  the  difference  in  shape. 

In  the  center  of  the  ordinary  pot  is  a  sort  of  spearhead  of  wood  or  iron  from  8  to 
12  inches  long.  This  has  one  large  barb  and  is  set  upright  in  the  middle  of  the  center 
frame.  The  bait  is  placed  on  this  spearhead.  Several  large  stones  or  bricks  are 
lashed  to  the  bottom  of  the  pot,  on  the  inside,  in  order  to  furnish  weight  enough  to 
hold  the  pot  at  the  bottom. 

As  it  was  noticed  that  a  lobster  generally  crawled  over  a  pot  before  entering  by 


248 


BULLETIN    OF   THE    UNITED    STATES    FISH    COMMISSION. 


the  end,  some  pots  of  a  square  form  aud  with  the  opening  at  the  top  were  constructed, 
but  they  were  not  successful. 

Another  variation  had  a  length  of  7£  feet  and  five  supporting  frames  inside  instead 
of  three,  as  in  the  old  pot.  These  were  set  at  equal  distances  apart,  and  had  two  more 
funnels  than  the  other,  one  funnel  being  attached  to  each  of  the  frames  except  the 
center  one,  and  all  pointing  inward.  In  order  to  reach  the  bait  the  lobster  had  to 
pass  through  two  funnels,  and  its  chances  of  escape  were  thereby  lessened.  This 
style  is  rarely  seen  now. 

Still  another  variety  in  vogue  for  a  short  time  had  a  trapdoor,  on  which  the  lobster 
had  to  climb  in  order  to  reach  the  bait;  the  door  then  gave  way  and  precipitated  the 
lobster  into  a  secure  inclosure. 

A  few  pots  are  made  with  a  funnel  of  laths  in  place  of  the  net  funnels.  They  are 
the  same  as  the  ordinary  pot  in  every  other  particular. 

The  ordinary  pots  cost  about  $1  to  construct. 

Daring  certain  seasons  the  pots  are  badly  eaten  by  "worms,7'  the  shipworm 
(Teredo)  or  one  of  the  species  of  small  boring  crustaceans.  Pots  are  also  frequently 
lost  during  stormy  weather,  and  the  fishermen  therefore  have  a  reserve  stock  on  hand 
in  order  to  replace  those  lost  or  temporarily  disabled. 


Old  style  of  Lead  (in  general  use., 


"Patent"  head. 


METHODS    OF   FISHING. 


In  fishing  the  traps  are  either  set  on  single  warps  or  on  trawls  of  8  to  40  and  50 
pots.  At  first  all  pots  were  set  singly.  The  line  by  which  they  were  lowered  and 
hauled  up,  and  which  also  served  as  a  buoy  line,  was  fastened  to  one  of  the  end  frames  of 
the  bottom  or  sill,  as  it  is  called,  at  the  intersection  of  the  hoop.  The  buoys  generally 
consist  of  a  tapering  piece  of  cedar  or  spruce,  wedge-shaped,  or  nearly  spindle  shaped, 
and  about  18  inches  long.  They  are  usually  painted  in  distinctive  colors,  so  that 
each  fisherman  may  easily  recognize  his  own.  Small  kegs  are  also  used  as  buoys. 

In  the  warm  season  the  pots  are  frequently  set  on  trawls  or  "  ground  lines,"  as 
lobsters  are  quite  thick  then  on  the  rocky  bottom  near  shore.  If  the  bottom  is  sandy 
they  are  set  farther  from  shore.  Lobsters  are  most  numerous  on  a  rocky  bottom.  In 
the  trawl  method  the  pots  are  usually  set  about  30  feet  apart,  depending  on  the  depth 
of  water,  so  that  when  one  pot  is  in  the  boat  the  next  will  be  on  the  bottom.  The 
ground  lines  have  large  anchors  at  each  end  and  a  floating  buoy  tied  to  a  strong  line, 
which  is  fastened  to  the  ground  line  almost  2.">  fathoms  from  the  anchors.  When  the 
last  pot  is  hauled  the  anchor  is  far  enough  away  to  hold  the  boat  in  position.  The  pots 


Bull.  U.  S.  F.  C.  1899.      .To  face  page  248 


PLATE  30. 


LOBSTER   CARS  USED   IN   THE  WHOLESALE  TRADE  AT  PORTLAND 


FISHERMEN'S  LOBSTER  CARS. 


THE    LOBSTER    FISHERY    OF    MAINE.  249 

are  set  at  distances  from  the  shore  ranging  from  100  yards  to  5  or  C  miles.  This  method 
of  setting  pots  was  first  used  about  the  year  1865  in  Sagadahoc  County.  The  traps 
are  set  in  from  3  to  10  fathoms  in  the  warm  season. 

In  winter  fishing  the  pots  are  generally  set  singly,  as  the  lobsters  are  more 
scattered  then  and  the  best  results  are  attained  by  shifting  the  position  of  the  pots 
slightly  each  time  they  are  fished.  This  is  caused  by  the  drift  of  the  boat  while 
the  fisherman  is  hauling  in  the  pot,  emptying  and  rebaiting  it,  and  then  dropping 
it  overboard  again.  The  winter  fishing  is  generally  carried  on  in  the  open  sea, 
although  in  a  few  places,  like  Sheepscot  Bay,  the  lobsters  in  winter  retire  to  the 
deep  waters  of  the  bays  and  can  there  be  caught.  The  pots  are  generally  set  in 
from  20  to  50  fathoms  of  water  at  this  season. 

Certain  fishermen  claim  that  when  pots  are  set  on  a  trawl  placed  across  the  tide 
the  catch  is  greater  than  when  the  trawl  is  set  in  the  direction  of  the  current.  In  the 
former  case,  it  is  asserted,  the  scent  or  fine  particles  coining  from  the  bait  is  more 
widely  diffused  and  more  apt  to  attract  the  lobsters.  In  entering,  after  first  recon- 
noitering  around  and  over  the  pot,  the  lobster  always  backs  in,  primarily  that  he  may 
be  prepared  to  meet  any  foe  following  him,  also  because  his  large  claws  would  be  apt 
to  catch  in  the  net  funnel  should  he  enter  head  first.  After  discovering  that  he  is 
imprisoned,  which  he  does  very  speedily,  he  seems  to  lose  all  desire  for  the  bait,  and 
spends  his  time  roaming  around  the  pot  hunting  for  a  means  of  escape. 

The  pots  are  generally  hauled  ouce  a  day,  but  sometimes  twice  a  day  in  good 
weather.  As  the  tide  along  the  Maine  coast  is  quite  strong,  the  fishermen  usually 
haul  their  pots  at  or  about  slack  water,  low  tide  generally  being  preferred  when  they 
are  worked  once  a  day.  The  number  used  by  a  fisherman  varies  greatly  on  different 
sections  of  the  coast.  According  to  the  investigations  of  this  Commission,  the  average 
number  of  pots  to  the  man  in  certain  years  was  as  follows:  Fifty-six  pots  in  1880,  59 
in  1887  and  1888,  58  in  1889  and  1892,  and  50  in  1898.  This  average,  however,  is  some- 
what misleading,  as  quite  a  number  of  persons  along  the  coast  take  up  lobstering  for 
only  a  few  months  in  the  year,  and  then  return  to  their  regular  occupations.  As  these 
persons  use  but  few  pots,  the  average  per  man  throughout  the  whole  State  is  very 
considerably  reduced.  The  regular  lobster  fishermen  have  been  steadily  increasing 
the  number  of  their  pots  for  several  years  past.  They  have  found  this  an  absolute 
necessity  in  order  to  catch  as  many  lobsters  now  as  they  caught  twenty  or  thirty 
years  ago.  It  is  not  unusual  now  to  find  one  of  the  regular  fishermen  handling  as 
high  as  100  pots,  and  sometimes  even  125,  when  a  few  years  ago  25  and  50  pots  was  a 
large  number.  This  does  not  take  into  account  his  reserve  stock  of  pots,  which  it  is 
necessary  to  have  on  hand  in  order  to  replace  those  damaged  or  lost. 

BAIT. 

Cod,  hake,  and  halibut  heads  are  quite  generally  used  as  bait.  Halibut  heads 
are  vsaid  to  be  the  best,  as  they  are  tougher  than  the  cod  or  hake  heads,  and  thus  last 
much  longer.  Sculpius,  flounders,  in  fact  almost  any  kind  of  fish,  can  be  used.  In 
the  vicinity  of  sardine  canneries  the  heads  of  herring  are  used.  Sometimes  the  bait 
is  slightly  salted,  at  other  times  it  is  used  fresh.  Small  herring  are  lightly  salted,  and 
then  allowed  to  remain  until  partly  decayed,  when  they  are  inclosed  in  small  bags,  and 
these  put  into  the  pots.  The  oil  from  this  bait  forms  a  "  slick  "  in  the  water,  and  when 
the  smell  from  it  is  strong  the  fishermen  consider  it  at  its  best.  The  bait  is  generally 
secured  by  small  haul-seines  and  spears  in  sections  where  offal  can  not  be  bought. 


250  BULLETIN    OF    THE    UNITED    STATES    FISH    COMMISSION. 

FISHING  VESSELS  AND   BOATS. 

The  fishing  vessels  are  either  sloop  or  schooner  rigged,  with  an  average  net 
tonnage  of  slightly  over  8  tons  (new  measurement)  and  an  average  value  of  about 
$475.  There  has  been  a  great  increase  in  the  number  of  these  vessels  during  recent 
years.  Eight  vessels  were  used  in  1880,  29  in  1889,  and  130  in  1898.  Quite  a  number 
of  these  vessels  are  used  in  other  fisheries  during  their  seasons.  Two  men  usually 
form  a  crew,  although  three,  and  sometimes  four,  are  occasionally  used. 

The  other  vessels  comprise  sailboats  under  5  tons  and  rowboats.  The  sailboats 
are  generally  small  square-sterned  sloops,  open  in  the  afterpart,  but  with  a  cuddy 
forward.  They  are  all  built  with  centerboards,  and  some  are  lapstreak  while  others 
are  "set  work."  Around  the  afterpart  of  the  standing  room  is  a  seat,  the  ballast  is 
floored  over,  and  two  little  bunks  and  a  stove  generally  help  to  furnish  the  cuddy. 
They  vary  in  length  from  1C  to  26  feet  and  in  width  from  6  to  9  feet;  they  average 
about  2  tons.  They  are  especially  adapted  to  the  winter  fishery,  as  they  are  good 
sailers  and  ride  out  the  storms  easily. 

Dories  are  in  quite  general  use  in  the  lobster  fishery,  as  are  also  the  double- 
enders,  or  peapods.  This  latter  is  a  small  canoe-shaped  boat  of  an  average  length  of 
15£  feet,  4£  feet  breadth,  and  1£  feet  depth.  They  are  mainly  built  lapstreak,  but  a 
few  are  "set  work."  Both  ends  are  exactly  alike;  the  sides  are  rounded  and  the 
bottom  is  flat,  being,  however,  only  4  or  5  inches  wide  in  the  center  and  tapering 
toward  each  end,  at  the  same  time  bending  slightly  upward,  so  as  to  make  the  boat 
shallower  at  the  ends  than  in  the  middle.  This  kind  of  bottom  is  called  a  "rocker 
bottom."  They  are  usually  rowed,  but  are  sometimes  furnished  with  a  sprit  sail  and 
centerboard. 

TRANSPORTING  VESSELS    OR   SMACKS. 

Even  before  the  lobster  fishery  had  been  taken  up  to  any  extent,  the  coast  of 
Maine  was  visited  by  well-smacks  from  Connecticut  and  New  York,  most  of  which 
had  been  engaged  in  the  transportation  of  live  fish  before  engaging  in  the  carrying 
of  lobsters.  These  vessels  sometimes  carried  pots,  and  caught  their  own  lobsters; 
but  as  this  method  was  not  very  convenient,  the  people  living  along  the  coast  took  up 
the  fishery,  and  sold  the  lobsters  to  the  smackmen.  About  1860  the  canneries  began 
to  absorb  a  considerable  part  of  the  catch,  and  they  employed  vessels  to  ply  along 
the  coast  and  buy  lobsters.  As  these  vessels  would  only  be  out  a  few  days  at  a 
time,  wells  were  not  necessary,  and  the  lobsters  were  packed  in  the  hold.  In  the 
summer  great  numbers  of  them  were  killed  by  the  heat  in  the  hold.  After  1885  the 
canneries  rapidly  dropped  out  of  the  business,  the  last  one  closing  in  1895.  In  1853 
there  were  but  6  smacks,  4  of  them  from  New  London,  Conn.  In  1880  there  were  58, 
of  which  21  were  dry  smacks,  while  in  1898  there  were  76,  of  which  1 7  were  steamers 
and  launches  and  59  sailing  vessels.  These  were  all  well-smacks.  A  few  sailing 
smacks  also  engaged  in  other  fishery  pursuits  during  the  dull  summer  months.  In 
1879  a  steamer  which  had  no  well  was  used  to  run  lobsters  to  the  cannery  at  Castine. 
The  first  steamer  fitted  with  a  well  to  engage  in  the  business  was  the  Grace  Morgan, 
owned  by  Mr.  F.  W.  Collins,  a  lobster  dealer  of  Eockland,  who  describes  the  steamer 
as  follows: 

The  steam  and  well  smack  Grace  Morgan  was  built  in  1890,  by  Bobert  Palmer  &  Son,  of  Noank, 
Conn.  At  that  time  she  was  a  dry  boat,  but  the  following  year,  1891,  the  Palmers  built  a  small  well 
in  her  as  an  experiment,  but  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  it  did  not  prove  very  satisfactory  or  profit- 


THE    LOBSTER   FISHERY    OP    MAINE.  251 

able ;  consequently  they  offered  her  for  sale  and  wrote  to  me  in  relation  to  baying  her.  I  went  to 
Noank  and  looked  her  over  and  came  to  the  conclusion  that  by  enlarging  the  well  and  making  other 
needed  changes  she  could  be  made  not  only  a  good  boat  to  carry  lobsters  alive,  but  also  to  do  it 
profitably;  consequently  I  bought  her  and  brought  her  to  Rockland,  had  the  well  enlarged  on  ideas  of 
my  own,  and  differently  constructed,  so  as  to  give  it  better  circulation  of  water,  and  also  made  other 
needed  improvements  throughout  the  boat  to  adapt  her  especially  for  carrying  lobsters  alive.  The 
changes  I  made  in  her  proved  so  successful  in  keeping  lobsters  alive,  while  it  increased  the  capacity 
for  carrying,  that  I  have  since  adapted  the  same  principles  on  all  my  boats.  The  well  I  had  put  into 
the  Grace  Morgan  is  what  is  termed  a  "box  well,"  that  is,  without  any  well  deck.  The  well  is  built 
from  the  sides  of  the  steamer  directly  to  the  hatch  on  the  main  deck,  with  bulkheads  forward  and  aft 
and  tops  running  directly  to  the  deck.  *  *  You  will  see  at  once  that  this  well  has  many  advan- 

tages over  the  old  style  with  flat  well  decks,  like  those  of  sailing  vessels:  (1)  It  affords  a  much  larger 
carrying  capacity  in  same  space  of  vessel.  (2)  The  priming-out  pieces  are  much  higher  up  on  sides 
of  vessel,  giving  more  room  for  boring  hull,  which  affords  much  better  circulation  of  water  in  well, 
which  is  a  great  advantage  in  keeping  lobsters  alive  while  on  long  trips.  (3)  Every  lobster  can  be 
easily  bailed  out  of  the  well  without  grounding  the  vessel,  which  is  necessary  with  all  vessels  having 
the  old-style  well.  (4)  In  all  steam  and  well  smacks  the  after  part  of  the  ship  is  always  steadiest, 
consequently  the  well  being  located  aft,  as  in  my  smacks,  the  lobsters  contained  in  them  are  not  sub- 
jected to  the  hard  pounding  while  running  in  seaway  that  they  are  in  the  old-style  wells,  where  there 
is  no  chance  to  relieve  themselves  other  than  to  be  forced  against  the  well  decks  by  the  upward  force 
of  the  water  when  the  vessel  settles  into  the  sea,  and  which  results  in  killing  many  of  them. 

Both  of  my  steamers  have  box  wells  aft,  and  from  my  experience,  compared  with  all  other  steam 
and  well  smacks  afloat,  I  am  convinced  that  this  well,  for  all  practical  purposes,  is  the  best  that  has 
yet  been  adapted  to  steam  smacks.  So  far  as  the  Grace  Morgan  is  concerned,  she  has  been  a  perfect 
success  in  carrying  her  lobsters  in  all  kinds  of  weather  since  I  put  her  into  commission  October  27, 
1892,  during  which  time  she  has  had  a  wonderful  career,  as  well  as  carrying  millions  of  lobsters. 
Probably  no  boat  of  her  si/e  has  ever  had  such  an  experience,  as  she  has  run  steadily  the  year  around 
in  all  kinds  of  weather  during  the  past  eight  years.  *  *  *  Previous  to  buying  the  Grace  Morgan 
I  had  run  steamers  in  the  lobster  business,  but  they  had  no  well,  and  being  so  hot  in  their  holds, 
particularly  in  the  summer  months,  the  lobsters  died  so  fast  that  the  business  in  dry  steamers  could 
not  be  made  profitable.  This  is  what  prompted  me  to  construct  a  well  in  mine,  as  I  have  done. 

The  Grace  Morgan  has  a  length  of  49  feet,  a  breadth  of  13.9  feet,  and  a  depth  of 
5.7  feet,  a  gross  tonnage  of  21  tons,  and  a  net  tonnage  of  10  tons. 

The  steam  smacks  now  used  average  about  14  tons.  They  are  usually  built  low 
iii  the  water,  and  have  a  small  pilot-house  forward,  with  an  open  space  between  it  and 
the  engine-house,  and  living  quarters  aft.  The  boat  has  also  one  or  two  short  masts. 
Some  of  them  also  have  the  pilot-house  and  engine-house  joined  together.  In  those 
with  a  space  between  the  pilot-house  and  engine-house  the  well  is  usually  placed  in 
this  open  space.  Where  the  pilot  house  and  engine-house  are  together  the  well  is 
either  located  forward  or  aft.  These  wells  are  generally  capable  of  holding  from  3,000 
to  10,000  live  lobsters.  Small  holes  in  the  bottom  of  the  well  keep  it  filled  with  fresh 
sea  water.  Should  the  weather  be  clear  the  proportion  of  dead  and  injured  lobsters 
will  be  small,  but  in  bad  weather  many  are  apt  to  be  killed  by  the  pitching  and  rolling 
to  which  they  are  subjected. 

These  smacks  make  regular  trips  up  and  down  the  coast,  landing  their  cargoes 
either  at  Rockland,  Portland,  or  at  one  of  the  lobster  pounds  scattered  along  the 
coast.  They  not  only  stop  at  the  villages,  but  also  drop  anchor  ott'  the  little  camps 
of  the  lobstermen,  and  should  the  smacks  of  two  rival  dealers  arrive  at  a  place 
simultaneously,  which  frequently  happens,  the  bidding  between  the  captains  for  the 
fishermen's  catch  gladdens  the  latter's  heart  and  greatly  enriches  his  pocketbook. 
Most  of  the  captains  have  regular  places  of  call  where  they  know  the  fishermen  are 
holding  their  lobsters  for  them,  and  they  follow  a  rude  sort  of  schedule,  which  will 
not  often  vary  more  than  a  day  or  two.  The  lobsters  are  bought  of  the  fishermen 


252  BULLETIN    OF    THE    UNITED    STATES    FISH    COMMISSION. 

by  count,  and  cash  is  paid  for  them.  Should  the  smack  belong  to  a  dealer  this 
practically  ends  the  financial  side  of  the  transaction  so  far  as  the  captain  is  concerned, 
as  the  crew  are  paid  wages.  Should  the  smack  belong  to  a  person  other  than  a 
dealer,  which  is  frequently  the  case,  he  either  makes  an  agrement  with  some  dealer 
to  run  for  him  exclusively  at  a  certain  price  or  commission,  or  else  buys  from  the 
fishermen  and  then  sells  at  either  Rockland  or  Portland.  This  method  of  buying 
lobsters  is  somewhat  hazardous,  as  the  market  price  sometimes  changes  sharply  when 
the  smack  is  out  of  reach  of  telegraphic  communication. 

LOBSTER  CARS. 

Lobsters  must  be  marketed  in  a  live  or  boiled  condition ;  and  as  fishermen  can 
get  better  prices  for  them  alive  than  boiled,  each  fisherman  generally  has  a  live-car  in 
which  to  hold  them  until  they  can  be  sold.  These  cars  are  usually  oblong,  rectangular 
boxes,  with  open  seams  or  numerous  small  holes  to  permit  the  free  circulation  of  the 
water.  They  are  of  various  sizes,  according  to  the  needs  of  the  fisherman,  a  good 
average  being  about  6  feet  long  by  4  feet  wide  and  about  2  feet  deep.  The  door  is 
placed  on  the  top.  They  are  usually  moored  close  to  the  shore  during  the  fishing 
season,  the  rest  of  the  time  being  hauled  up  on  the  beach. 

The  dealers'  cars  are  very  similar  to  those  used  by  the  fishermen,  only  much 
larger.  They  generally  average  about  30  feet  in  length,  12  feet  in  width,  and  3  feet  in 
depth,  with  capacity  for  from  2,000  to  3,000  lobsters.  The  inner  part  of  this  car  is 
usually  divided  off  into  five  transverse  compartments  by  means  of  a  framework  inside. 
Each  compartment  is  provided  with  two  large  doors  entering  from  the  top,  one  door 
on  each  side  of  the  middle  line  of  the  car.  These  cars  cost  the  dealers  about  $70 
each.  The  life  of  one  of  these  cars  is  about  five  or  six  years,  although  at  the  end  of 
about  three  years  it  is  generally  necessary  to  replace  the  sides  of  the  car  on  account 
of  the  ravages  of  a  dock  worm  which  is  quite  abundant  along  the  Maine  coast. 
When  new  the  top  of  the  car  is  usually  about  a  foot  above  the  water,  but  as  it  gets 
water  soaked  it  sinks  down  until  it  is  even  with  the  water,  and  some  of  the  older 
cars  have  to  be  buoyed  up  with  kegs  at  each  end,  placed  inside,  to  prevent  them  from 
sinking  below  the  surface.  These  cars  are  moored  alongside  the  docks  of  the  dealers 
at  Portland  and  Kockland  and  other  points. 

Mr.  J.  R.  Burns,  of  Friendship,  has  invented  and  patented  a  new  style  of  car. 
The  inside  is  divided  into  a  series  of  compartments  by  horizontal  and  vertical  partitions 
of  slats,  wire  netting,  or  any  material  which  will  permit  the  free  circulation  of  the 
water.  Each  compartment  has  a  chute  extending  down  into  it  from  the  top,  by  means 
of  which  the  lobsters  can  be  put  in  and  their  food  given  them.  There  are  also 
conveniently  arranged  openings,  with  doors,  through  which  the  lobsters  may  be 
•  removed  when  desired.  These  cars  usually  average  about  35  feet  in  length,  18  feet  in 
width,  and  <>  feet  in  depth,  and  have  a  capacity  for  about  5,000  lobsters  each.  They 
are  in  use  at  Kockland,  Friendship,  Treinont,  and  Jonesport.  They  prevent  the 
lobsters  from  huddling  together  and  thus  killing  each  other  by  their  own  weight. 

METHODS   OF   SHIPPING,   WHOLESALE   TRADE,   ETC. 

As  lobsters  can  not  be  shipped  or  preserved  in  a  frozen  state  they  must  be  shipped 
either  alive  or  boiled.  About  nine-tenths  of  the  lobsters  caught  in  Maine  waters  are 
shipped  in  the  live  state.  The  principal  shipping  centers  are  Portland,  Rockland,  and 


PLATE  31 


FISHERMEN   OPERATING  THEIR  POTS. 


NCLOSURE   TOR  LIVE  LOBSTERS  AT  VINAL  HAVEN.   MAINE. 


THE    LOBSTER    FISHERY    OF    MAINE.  253 

Eastport,  which  have  good  railroad  and  steamship  facilities  with  points  outside  of  the 
State.  Those  shipped  from  the  latter  point  are  mainly  from  the  British  Provinces,  the 
fishermen  near  Eastport  bringing  them  in  in  their  own  boats.  A  number  also  come 
in  from  the  Provinces  on  the  regular  steamship  lines.  The  other  places  get  their 
supply  from  the  smacks  and  also  from  the  fishermen  in  their  vicinity,  who  run  in  their 
own  catch.  Portland  is  very  favorably  situated  in  this  regard,  as  Casco  Bay  is  a 
noted  fishing  center  for  lobsters. 

As  soon  as  a  smack  arrives  it  is  moored  directly  alongside  one  of  the  cars.  The 
lobsters  are  then  dipped  out  of  the  well  by  means  of  long-handled  scoop  nets  and 
thrown  on  the  deck  of  the  vessel.  The  doors  of  the  car  are  then  opened,  and  men  on 
the  vessel  pick  over  the  lobsters  lying  on  the  deck  and  toss  them  two  by  two  into  the 
different  compartments,  those  dead  and  badly  mutilated  being  thrown  to  one  side  for 
the  time  being.  All  vigorous  lobsters  above  a  certain  size  are  placed  in  compartments 
of  the  car  by  themselves,  while  the  weak  and  small  are  put  in  separate  compartments. 
The  dead  lobsters  and  those  which  have  had  their  shells  broken  or  have  been  so 
injured  that  they  are  very  sure  to  die  are  either  thrown  overboard  or  on  the  dump. 
A  lobster  which  has  lost  one  or  even  both  claws  is  not  thrown  away,  as  such  an  injury 
would  have  very  little  effect  on  its  health. 

When  an  order  is  received  for  live  lobsters,  those  which  have  been  longest  in  the 
cars  are  usually  shipped.  Flour  barrels  holding  about  140  pounds  or  sugar  barrels 
holding  about  185  pounds,  with  small  holes  bored  in  the  bottoms  for  drainage,  are 
used  for  the  shipment.  Formerly  the  lobsters  were  packed  close  together  in  the  barrel, 
and  a  large  piece  of  ice  was  put  in  at  the  top,  but  this  was  found  to  kill  a  number  of 
them.  The  present  method  is  to  split  off  about  one-third  of  a  100-pound  cake  of  ice 
the  long  way,  and  place  it  upright  about  half  way  of  the  length  of  the  barrel,  the 
lobsters  then  being  packed  snugly  on  all  sides  of  the  ice.  In  handling  them  the 
packer  seizes  the  lobster  by  the  carapax  with  his  right  hand,  bends  the  tail  up  under 
the  body  with  his  left  hand,  and  quickly  deposits  it  in  the  barrel.  The  packer  usually 
has  his  right  hand  covered  with  a  woolen  mit  or  wrapped  in  a  long  piece  of  linen, 
for  protection  from  the  claws  of  the  lobster. 

When  the  barrel  is  nearly  full  the  lobsters  are  covered  with  a  little  seaweed  or 
large  leaved  marine  plants,  and  the  rest  of  the  space  is  filled  with  cracked  ice.  The 
top  is  then  covered  with  a  piece  of  sacking,  which  is  secured  under  the  upper  hoop 
of  the  barrel.  Packed  in  this  way,  lobsters  have  easily  survived  a  trip  as  far  west  as 
St.  Louis. 

Owing  to  the  high  prices  realized  in  England  for  live  lobsters,  attempts  have  been 
made  to  ship  live  American  lobsters  to  that  market,  generally  from  Canadian  ports. 
In  1877  Messrs.  John  Marston  &  Sons,  of  Portland,  made  a  trial  shipment  of  250. 
They  were  placed  in  a  large  tank  20  feet  long  by  8  feet  wide  and  3  feet  deep,  and 
constantly  supplied  with  fresh  seawater  through  six  faucets  by  means  of  a  donkey 
engine,  a  waste-pipe  preventing  any  overflow.  The  trip  was  fairly  successful,  as  only 
50  died,  and  the  balance  brought  from  GO  to  75  cents  per  pound. 

The  smacks  and  dealers  buy  lobsters  by  count,  as  the  fishermen  generally  have 
no  facilities  for  weighing  them;  but  the  dealers  always  sell  by  weight.  The  mortality 
among  the  lobsters  from  the  time  they  are  put  aboard  the  smacks  until  they  are 
barreled  for  shipment  is  estimated  at  about  5  per  cent. 


254 


BULLETIN    OF    THE    UNITED    STATES    FISH    COMMISSION. 


BOILING. 

Live  lobsters  are  much  preferred  by  the  trade  throughout  the  country,  and  only 
those  that  can  not  be  marketed  in  such  condition  are  boiled.  The  number  boiled 
fluctuates  considerably,  owing  to  the  condition  of  the  markets.  When  the  fresh 
markets  of  Boston  and  New  York  are  overstocked,  the  lobster  dealers  of  Kockland  and 
Portland,  where  most  of  the  Maine  lobsters  are  boiled,  proceed  to  boil  their  surplus 
stock. 

The  following  description  of  the  boiling  is  from  The  Fisheries  and  Fishery 
Industries  of  the  United  States,  section  v,  vol.  n,  p.  684 : 

The  boilers  are  rectangular  wooden  tanks  or  vats  of  about  60  gallons  capacity,  lined  with  zinc 
and  furnished  with  a  cover.  Heat  is  applied  by  the  introduction  of  steam  through  a  series  of  perfo- 
rated pipes  arranged  in  the  bottom  of  the  tank.  The  steam  is  generated  in  an  ordinary  boiler  standing 
close  at  hand.  The  lobsters  are  not  thrown  directly  into  the  vat,  as  the  operation  of  removing  them 
after  cooking  would  in  such  an  event  be  an  exceedingly  tedious  one ;  but  an  iron  framework  basket 
of  rather  slender  bars  is  made  to  fit  the  tank  loosely,  and  is  lowered  and  raised  by  means  of  a  small 
derrick  placed  over  the  tank.  This  frame,  which  holds  about  350  pounds,  is  filled  with  lobsters  at 
the  edge  of  the  wharf  from  the  floating  cars,  and  is  then  carried  to  the  tank  and  lowered  into  it  after 
the  water  it  contains  has  reached  the  desired  temperature,  that  of  boiling.  The  water  is  first  sup- 
plied to  the  tank,  which  is  filled  to  about  one-third  or  two- thirds  its  capacity,  about  a  peck  of  salt  is 
added,  and  then  the  steam  is  turned  on.  The  same  water  suffices  for  several  successive  boilings, 
about  2  quarts  of  salt  being  added  each  time.  The  lobsters  are  allowed  to  remain  in  abont  half  an 
hour,  or  until  the  proper  red  color  indicates  they  are  sufficiently  cooked. 

After  cooling,  they  are  packed  in  barrels  for  shipment,  just  as  live  lobsters  are. 
When  well  iced  they  will  keep  a  week  or  longer.  Only  live  lobsters  are  boiled,  as  the 
meat  of  those  which  die  prior  to  boiling  deteriorates  rapidly. 

The  fishermen  and  small  dealers  use  various  kinds  of  boilers,  from  an  ordinary 
washboiler  to  a  smaller  form  of  the  regular  boiler  used  by  the  large  dealers.  The  prod- 
uct prepared  by  these  people  is  generally  picked  from  the  shell  and  sold  locally  in  that 
condition.  This  opens  a  way  for  the  fisherman  to  evade  the  10  J-inch  limit  law.  They 
frequently  take  lobsters  under  the  minimum  legal  size  and,  after  boiling  them,  pick 
the  flesh.  It  is  then  impossible  for  anybody  to  tell  what  sized  lobster  the  meat  had 
come  from.  Quite  a  local  trade  in  the  picking  of  lobsters  has  been  established  in  a 
number  of  small  coast  towns,  the  meat  generally  being  sold  in  the  immediate  vicinity. 

The  following  table  shows  the  extent  of  the  wholesale  lobster  trade  in  Eockland 
and  Portland  during  1898,  including  everything  connected  with  the  business  except 
the  smacks  and  pounds,  which  are  shown  elsewhere.  There  are  a  few  other  dealers 
scattered  along  the  coast,  but  most  of  the  business  is  concentrated  at  these  cities. 
An  idea  of  the  extent  of  the  increase  in  the  lobster  trade  of  Portland  can  be  gained 
when  it  is  stated  that  in  1880  about  1,900,000  pounds  of  lobsters,  valued  at  $70,000, 
were  handled  here,  while  6,145,821  pounds,  valued  at  $611,955,  were  handled  in  1898. 

Extent  of  the  wholesale  lobster  trade  of  fiockland  and  Portland  in  1898. 


Valueofprop- 
erty,  capital, 
and  wages. 

Rock- 
land. 

Port-      if  umber  of  per- 
land.       sons  engaged. 

Rock- 
land. 

Port- 
land. 

Lobsters  bought 
and  sold. 

Rockland. 

Portland. 

No. 

Value. 

No. 

Value. 

Property,  etc. 
Cars 

$14,  338 
850 
22,000 
4,676 

1 
$44  770  |   Firms 

2 
3 
2 

7 

*10 
13 
2 

31 

Bought  No.. 
Bought  Ibs.. 
Sold,  alive  ..Ibs.. 
Sold,  boiled.  Ibs.. 

692,  188 
1,  038,  282 
795,  934 
347,815 

$89,'984" 
91,532 
26,  705 

4,  097,  214 
6,  145,  821 
5,  308,  027 
515,  518 

$6ii,~955" 
690,  045 
82,  483 

6,800      Proprietors  
110,500  \'  Clerks  
18,198      Other    em- 
ployees   

Cash  capital. 
Wages  

*  Several  of  these  firms  also  handle  other  fishery  products. 


II.  U.  S.  P.  C.  1  899.     .To  face  page  254. 


PLATE  32. 


THE   LOBSTER   FISHERY    OF   MAINE.  255 

LOBSTER   POUNDS. 

For  a  number  of  years  the  catch  of  lobsters  was  sold  by  the  fishermen  to  the 
dealers  and  by  the  latter  to  the  trade  as  rapidly  as  possible.  In  doing  this  the  markets 
would  be  flooded  at  certain  times,  when  the  price  would  drop  to  a  very  low  figure, 
while  at  other  times  they  would  be  very  scarce,  which  would  enhance  the  price 
materially.  The  dealers  were  the  first  to  see  the  necessity  for  devising  some  method 
by  which  lobsters  could  be  secured  when  they  were  plentiful  and  cheap  and  retained 
in  captivity  until  they  became  scarce  and  high  in  price.  Inclosures  of  various  kinds 
had  for  some  years  been  in  use  in  the  fisheries  in  various  parts  of  the  country  for  the 
purpose  of  keeping  certain  species  alive  until  the  time  came  to  utilize  them.  In  1875 
Johnson  &  Young,  of  Boston,  established  an  inclosure  or  pound  near  Vinal  Haven, 
on  one  of  the  Fox  Islands.  A  cove  covering  about  500  acres,  with  an  average  depth 
of  about  90  feet,  was  selected.  A  section  of  about  9  acres,  separated  from  the  main 
portion  of  the  cove  by  a  natural  shoal  and  with  a  bottom  of  soft  grayish  mud,  was 
selected  for  the  pound.  In  order  to  make  it  proof  against  the  efforts  of  the  lobsters 
to  escape  and  as  a  protection  from  enemies  without,  a  wire  fence  was  built  over  the 
shoal  part.  This  section  had  a  depth  of  from  15  to" 60  feet,  and  a  capacity  of  about 
300,000,  although  there  were  rarely  that  many  in  the  pound  at  one  time. 

The  lobsters  are  bought  from  smacks  and  from  fishermen  in  the  vicinity  during 
the  height  of  the  fishing  season,  when  the  price  is  low,  and  are  retained  in  the  pound 
until  the  price  becomes  high,  which  is  generally  during  the  winter  season.  They  are 
fed  with  fish  offal,  which  can  usually  be  bought  at  Yinal  Haven  for  $1  per  barrel. 
Oily  fish  are  not  fed  to  them,  as  it  is  said  that  the  lobsters  decrease  in  weight  on  such 
a  diet.  Experience  has  shown  that  the  quantity  of  food  required  depends  largely  on 
the  temperature  of  the  water,  as  lobsters  do  not  eat  as  freely  when  the  water  is  cold 
as  in  water  of  a  higher  temperature.  When  wanted  for  shipment  they  are  usually 
secured  by  means  of  pots,  seines,  or  beam  trawls. 

Even  with  such  a  successful  example  before  them,  other  dealers  were  chary  about 
going  into  the  business,  and  in  1890  there  were  only  three  pounds  in  the  whole  State. 
They  increased  more  rapidly  after  that,  however,  and  in  1898  there  were  nine  pounds 
in  the  State,  with  a  total  valuation  of  $18,700.  These  were  located  at  Dyer  Bay, 
Sunset,  Vinal  Haven,  Long  Island,  South  Bristol,  Pemaquid  Beach,  Southport,  and 
House  Island,  in  Portland  Harbor.  It  is  very  probable  that  there  will  be  a  greater 
increase  in  the  near  future. 

THE   CANNING  INDUSTRY. 

Maine  is  the  only  State  in  the  Union  in  which  lobsters  have  been  canned.  The 
following  account  of  the  inception  and  early  history  of  the  industry,  taken  from 
"The  Fisheries  and  Fishery  Industries  of  the  United  States,"  is  very  complete: 

Lobster  canning  was  first  attempted  in  the  United  States  at  Eastport,  Me.,  shortly  after  1840, 
and  was  made  successful  in  1843,  the  methods  finally  employed  having  been  borrowed  from  Scotland, 
which  country  is  said  to  have  learned  the  process  from  France.  For  the  successful  introduction  of 
the  process  into  the  United  States  we  are  indebted  to  Mr.  Charles  Mitchell,  now  of  Charlestown, 
Mass.,  a  practical  canner  of  Scotland,  who  had  learned  his  trade  of  John  Moir  &  Son,  of  Aberdeen, 
the  first  Scotch  firm,  it  is  claimed,  to  put  up  hermetically  sealed  preparations  of  meat,  game,  and 
salmon,  their  enterprise  dating  back  to  1824.  Mr.  U.  S.  Treat,  a  native  of  Maine,  appears,  however, 
to  have  been  most  active  and  influential  in  starting  the  enterprise  and  in  introducing  canned  goods 
into  the  markets  of  the  United  States.  Mr.  Treat  was,  at  an  early  period,  engaged  in  the  preparation 


256  BULLETIN    OF    THE    UNITED    STATES    FISH    COMMISSION. 

of  smoked  salmon  on  the  Penobscot  River,  and  in  1839  removed  to  Calais,  Me.,  where  he  continued  in 
the  same  business.  About  1840  he  associated  with  him  a  Mr.  Noble,  of  Calais,  and  a  Mr.  Holliday,  a 
native  of  Scotland,  who  had  also  been  employed  in  the  salmon  fisheries  of  the  Penobscot  River,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Treat,  Noble  &  Holliday.  This  firm  moved  to  Eastport  in  1842,  for  the  purpose  of 
starting  the  manufacture  of  hermetically  sealed  goods,  and  began  experiments  with  lobsters,  salmon, 
and  haddock.  Their  capital  was  limited,  their  appliances  crude,  and  many  discouraging  difficulties 
were  encountered.  The  quality  of  the  cans  furnished  them  was  poor,  causing  them  often  to  burst 
while  in  the  bath,  and  the  proper  methods  of  bathing  and  of  expelling  the  air  from  the  cans  were  not 
understood.  The  experiments  were  continued  for  two  years  with  varying  success,  and  in  secret,  no 
outsiders  being  allowed  to  enter  their  bathing  room.  Though  fairly  successful  in  some  of  their 
results,  they  could  not  always  depend  upon  their  goods  keeping  well. 

In  1843  they  secured  the  services  of  Mr.  Charles  Mitchell,  who  was  then  residing  at  Halifax,  and 
who  was  not  only  well  acquainted  with  the  methods  of  bathing  practiced  in  his  own  country,  but 
was  also  a  practical  tinsmith.  He  had  been  employed  in  the  canning  of  hermetically  sealed  goods  in 
Scotland  for  ten  years,  and  came  over  to  Halifax  in  1841,  where  he  continued  for  two  years  in  the  same 
occupation,  exporting  his  goods  to  England.  After  Mr.  Mitchell's  arrival  at  Eastport,  no  further 
difficulty  was  experienced  in  the  bathing  or  other  preparation  of  the  lobsters,  and  a  desirable  grade  of 
goods  was  put  up,  but  they  found  no  sale,  as  canned  preparations  were  comparatively  unknown  in 
the  markets  of  the  United  States.  Mr.  Treat  visited  each  of  the  larger  cities  with  samples  of  the 
goods,  and  endeavored  to  establish  agencies  for  them,  but  he  was  generally  obliged  to  send  on  consign- 
ment, as  few  firms  were  willing  to  take"  the  responsibility  of  buying  on  their  own  account.  A  patent 
was  also  applied  for,  but  the  claim  was  not  pressed  and  the  patent  was  never  received. 

The  success  at  Eastport  led  to  a  rapid  extension  of  the  business  in  other  parts  of 
the  State.  The  second  cannery  was  located  at  Harpswell  about  the  year  1849.  A 
cannery  was  started  at  Carver  Harbor,  Fox  Islands,  in  1851,  and  another  at  Southwest 
Harbor  in  1853.  In  1857  a  cannery  was  started  at  North  Haven,  and  at  Gouldsboro 
two  were  started  in  1863  and  1870,  respectively.  From  this  time  the  number  increased 
rapidly  for  several  years.  After  1880  the  number  operated  fluctuated  considerably, 
depending  on  the  abundance  of  lobsters.  Some  canneries  had  to  suspend  operations 
at  an  early  stage,  owing  to  the  exhaustion  of  the  grounds  in  their  vicinity.  At  most 
canneries  lobsters  formed  only  a  part  of  the  pack,  sardines,  clams,  fish,  and  various 
vegetables  and  fruits  being  packed  in  their  season.  Most  ot  the  canneries  were  built 
and  operated  by  Boston  and  Portland  firms. 

At  first  the  lobsters  used  for  canning  ranged  in  weight  from  3  to  10  pounds. 
Gradually  the  average  weight  was  reduced,  until  at  last  it  reached  as  low  as  f  pound, 
or  even  less.  This  was  caused  principally  by  the  high  prices  paid  for  large  lobsters 
for  the  fresh  trade,  with  which  the  canneries  could  not  compete. 

As  the  supply  of  lobsters  on  the  Maine  coast  began  to  decrease  shortly  before  1870, 
while  the  demand  for  canned  lobsters  increased  at  an  enormous  rate,  the  dealers 
began  to  establish  canneries  on  the  coasts  of  the  British  provinces.  As  the  decline 
in  the  supply  was  attributed  to  the  canneries,  a  sentiment  against  them  was  gradually 
formed,  and  laws  were  enacted  regulating  the  time  in  which  they  could  operate  and 
the  size  of  the  lobsters  they  could  put  up.  Prior  to  1879  they  were  permitted  to  pack 
lobsters  at  any  season  of  the  year,  but  they  usually  operated  only  between  April  1 
and  August  1,  and  again  between  the  10th  or  middle  of  September  and  the  1st  of 
December,  the  length  of  the  season  depending  very  largely  upon  the  weather  and 
the  abundance  of  lobsters.  In  1879  it  was  enacted  that  no  canning  of  lobsters  should 
be  allowed  from  August  1  to  April  1  following.  In  1883  it  was  made  illegal  to  can 
lobsters  less  than  9  inches  in  length.  In  1885  the  canning  season  was  fixed  from 
April  1  to  July  15.  In  1889  the  season  was  fixed  from  May  1  to  July  1,  aud  the 
minimum  length  of  lobsters  to  be  canned  placed  at  9  inches.  In  1891  this  act  was  so 


THE    LOBSTER    FISHERY    OF    MAINE. 


257 


amended  as  to  make  the  season  from  April  20  to  June  1.  After  1880  the  number  of 
canneries  gradually  declined,  until  in  1895  the  last  one  suspended  the  canning  of 
lobsters,  owing  to  the  passage  of  a  law  fixing  the  minimum  size  at  10£  inches.  This 
law  went  into  effect  July  1, 1895.  As  they  could  not  afford  to  pay  the  high  price 
demanded  for  this  size  they  were  compelled  to  give  up  the  business. 

The  following  table  shows  the  number  of  factories  in  operation,  the  quantity  and 
value  of  fresh  lobsters  used,  and  the  number  and  value  of  cans  of  lobsters  put  up,  in 
the  years  1880,  1889,  and  1892 : 


188 

0. 

188 

9. 

18 

92. 

No. 

Value. 

No. 

Value. 

No. 

Value. 

23 

20 

]] 

Lobsters  used,  fresh  Ibs.. 

9,  494,  284 

$95,  666 

5,  752,  654 

$72,  092 

5,326,322 

$78,  720 

Canned  : 

1  542  696 

999  521 

126  577 

I  2°8  944 

195  114 

148,  704 

85,  520 

16,  036 

'•     3^096 

'839 

139,  801 

1,831,201 

238,  280 

1  085  041 

142  613 

1  232  040 

195  953 

Part  of  the  lobsters  used  in  tbe  Eastport  factories  come  from  Now  Brunswick .    It  is  impossible  to  separate  them. 
ABUNDANCE,   ETC. 

There  are  no  accurate  figures  showing  the  'catch  of  lobsters  in  Maine  previous 
to  1880.  It  is  therefore  difficult  to  make  comparisons,  and  one  is  compelled  to 
depend  largely  upon  the  memory  of  the  fishermen  and  the  statements  of  the  canncrs 
and  dealers,  which  the  lapse  of  time,  etc.,  makes  rather  unreliable.  The  numerous 
petitions  sent  to  the  legislature  asking  for  restrictive  laws,  while  possibly  exaggerated 
at  times,  indicate  that  there  were  fears  of  the  exhaustion  of  the  fishery  for  some 
years  back.  It  is  positively  known,  however,  that  certain  grounds  have  been  almost 
or  totally  exhausted  through  overfishing  for  a  number  of  years,  while  on  other 
grounds  the  supply  of  lobsters  has  seriously  decreased.  There  was  a  time  when  no 
lobster  under  2  pounds  in  weight  was  saved  by  the  fishermen.  In  later  years,  before 
there  was  a  restriction  fixing  the  minimum  size  of  lobsters  that  could  be  canned,  the 
canneries  frequently  used  half-pound  lobsters.  The  fixing  of  the  minimum  length 
of  the  lobsters  caught  at  10£  inches,  and  the  consequent  closing  up  of  the  canneries, 
has  been  of  incalculable  benefit  to  the  fishermen,  as  the  young  lobsters  now  have  an 
opportunity  to  reach  maturity. 

The  table  given  below  shows  for  certain  years  the  number  of  pots  used,  the  quan- 
tity of  lobsters  taken,  with  their  value,  also  the  average  catch  and  value  per  man, 
the  average  catch  per  pot,  and  the  average  price  per  pound : 


Year. 

Fisher- 
men. 

Pots. 

Catch. 

Average 
catch 
per  man. 

Average 
stock 
per  man. 

Average 
catch 
per  pot. 

Average 
price  per 
pound. 

Pounds. 

Value. 

1,  843 
1,906 
1,  »67 
2,080 
2,  628 
3,099 

104,  456 
113,  299 
112,632 
121,140 
153,043 
155,  978 

14,  234,  182 
22,  916,  642 
21,694,731 
86,001,351 

17,  642,  677 
11,183,294 

$268,  739 
512,  044 
515,  880 
574,  105 
603,  043 
992,  855 

Pounds. 
7,723 
12,  023 
11,  029 
12,  020 
6,713 
3,609 

$146 
269 
267 
276 
252 
320 

Pounds. 
136 
202 
193 
206 
117 
78 

Cento. 
1.9 
2.2 
2.4 
2.3 
3.8 
8.9 

1887                           

1888 

1889                 

1892 

1898 

V.  C.  H.  1899-17 


258 


BULLETIN    OF    THE    UNITED    STATES    FISH    COMMISSION. 


While  the  catch  increased  up  to  1889  and  then  decreased  until  in  1898  it  was  lower 
than  in  1880,  the  number  of  fisherman  and  pots  and  the  value  of  the  catch  steadily 
increased.  The  average  stock  per  man  fluctuated  somewhat  from  year  to  year,  but  in 
1898  shows  a  considerable  increase  over  every  other  year.  The  most  interesting  point, 
however,  is  the  average  price  per  pound.  In  1880  this  was  1.9  cents,  while  in  1898  it 
was  8.9  cents  per  pound.  With  one  exception,  each  year  shows  a  progressive  increase 
in  value  per  pound.  The  great  increase  of  1898  over  1892,  5.1  cents  per  pound,  was 
caused  by  the  closing  up  of  the  canneries  in  1895,  and  the  consequent  dropping  out 
of  the  cheap  product  they  had  been  buying  from  the  fishermen. 

WEIGHT   OF  LOBSTERS. 

The  figures  given  below  show  the  average  weight  of  lobsters  at  certain  given 
lengths.  These  weights  are  made  up  from  the  results  obtaiued  by  investigators  of  the 
United  States  Fish  Commission,  particularly  those  of  Prof.  Francis  H.  Herrick.  Males 
in  nearly  every  instance  weigh  slightly  more  than  females  of  the  same  length. 


Length. 

Weight 
in 
pounds. 

9  inches 

1  16 

lOinches     

1.50 

104  inches  
11  incites 

1.75 

2 

12inches      

2.50 

13  inches 

2  75 

15inches  

4.25 

CHEMICAL   COMPOSITION   OF  LOBSTERS. 

The  nutritive  value  of  a  fishery  product  is  of  considerable  interest  to  the  consumer. 
Some  years  ago,  Prof.  W.  O.  Atwater,  of  Middletowu,  Connecticut,  made  a  series  of 
careful  analyses  of  the  composition  of  the  flesh  of  three  lobsters  from  the  coasts  of 
Maine  and  Massachusetts,  and  the  figures  given  below  represent  the  results: 


Proportions  of  edible  portion  and  shell: 
Total  edible  portion  

Per  cent. 
39.77 

Shell  

57.47 

Loss  in  cleaning  

2.76 

Proportions  of  water  and  dry  substance  in  edible  portion  : 

Water  

17.27 

Chemical  analysis  calculated  on  dry  substance  : 
Nitrogen  

12.54 

Albuminoids  (nitrogen  X  6.25)  

78.37 

Fat  :  

11.43 

Crude  ash  

10.06 

Phosphorus  (calculated  as  P2O6)  

2.24 

Sulphur  (calculated  as  SO3)  

2.47 

Chlorine  

3.46 

Chemical  analysis  calculated  on  fresh  substance  in  flesh  : 

"Water  

82.73 

Nitrogen  

2.17 

Albuminoids  (nitrogen  X  6.25)  

13.57 

Fat  

1.97 

Crude  ash  

1.74 

Phosphorus  (calculated  as  P2O5)  
Sulphur  (calculated  as  SO3)  

39 
43 

Chlorine  .  . 

59 

Nutritive  value  of  flesh  of  lobsters  compared  with  beef  as  a  standard  and  r 

eckoned  at  100  61.97 

THE    LOBSTER    FISHERY    OF   MAINE  259 

ARTIFICIAL   PROPAGATION   OF   THE   LOBSTER. 

The  rapid  increase  in  the  catch  of  this  crustacean  during  the  past  ten  years  has 
drawn  upon  it  the  most  earnest  attention  of  all  interested  in  the  preservation  of  this 
valuable  fishery.  If  the  "berried"  or  female  lobster  bearing  eggs,  and  the  young  and 
immature,  were  let  alone  by  the  fishermen  there  would  be  no  necessity  for  a  resort  to 
artificial  lobster  culture.  Maine  has  a  most  stringent  law  forbidding  the  taking  and 
selling  of  "  berried"  lobsters,  and  of  any  lobster  under  10J  inches  in  length,  but  this 
law  is  evaded  by  numerous  fishermen  whenever  possible.  An  idea  of  the  extent  to 
which  short  lobsters  are  marketed  in  the  State  may  be  gathered  from  the  statement  of 
Mr.  A.  E.  Nickerson,  commissioner  of  sea  and  shore  fisheries  for  the  State,  that  in 
1899  over  50.000  short  lobsters  were  seized  and  liberated  by  the  State  wardens.  As 
these  wardens  only  discover  a  small  proportion  of  the  short  lobsters  handled  by  the 
fishermen  and  dealers  it  is  easy  to  see  what  a  terrible  drain  this  is  on  the  future  hope 
of  the  fishery — the  young  and  immature.  Large  numbers  of  "berried"  lobsters  are 
also  captured,  the  eggs  brushed  off,  and  the  lobsters  sold  as  ordinary  female  lobsters. 

The  lieport  of  the  U.  S.  Fish  Commission  for  1897,  on  pages  235  and  236,  contains 
the  following  account  of  the  artificial  propagation  of  lobsters: 

Prior  to  1885  experiments  had  been  conducted  at  various  points  looking  to  the  artificial  propaga- 
tion of  the  lobster.  The  only  practical  attempts  of  this  nature  previous  to  those  made  by  the  Fish 
Commission  were  by  means  of  "  parking,"  that  is,  holding  in  large  naturally  inclosed  basins  lobsters 
that  had  been  injured,  soft-shelled  ones,  and  those  below  marketable  size.  Occasionally  females 
with  spawn  were  placed  in  the  same  inclosures.  One  of  these  parks  was  established  in  Massachusetts 
in  1872,  but  was  afterwards  abandoned;  another  was  established  on  the  coast  of  Maine  about  1875. 
It  was  soon  demonstrated,  however,  that  the  results  from  inclosures  of  this  character,  so  far  as  the 
rearing  of  the  lobsters  from  the  young  were  concerned,  would  not  be  sufficient  to  materially  affect  the 
general  supply.  The  completion  of  the  new  marine  laboratory  and  hatchery  at  Woods  Hole  in  1885, 
with  its  complete  system  of  salt-water  circulation,  permitted  the  commencement  of  experiments  in 
artificial  hatching  on  a  large  scale  which  had  not  been  practicable  theretofore,  although  small  quan- 
tities of  lobster  eggs,  as  well  as  those  of  other  crustaceans,  had  been  successfully  hatched.  In  1886 
the  experiments  had  progressed  so  successfully  that  several  million  eggs  were  collected  and  hatched 
at  Woods  Hole,  the  fry  being  deposited  in  Vineyard  Sound  and  adjacent  waters.  From  1887  to  1890, 
inclusive,  the  number  of  eggs  collected  was  17,821,000. 

During  the  above  years  the  average  production  of  fry  was  about  54  per  cent. 
By  the  use  of  more  improved  apparatus  the  average  was  brought  up  to  90  per  cent  in 
1897,  when  the  collections  amounted  to  150,000,000  eggs,  of  which  135,000,000  were 
hatched.  As  the  commissioner  of  sea  and  shore  fisheries  of  Maine  objected  to  the 
taking  of  female  lobsters  in  that  State  and  the  planting  of  part,  at  least,  of  the 
resulting  fry  in  other  waters,  an  arrangement  was  made  in  1898  by  which  all  female 
lobsters  and  the  fry  hatched  out  from  the  eggs  secured  from  these  would  be  returned 
to  the  State  waters.  Under  this  arrangement  2,305  "berried"  lobsters  were  bought 
from  the  Maine  fishermen  by  the  U.  S.  Fish  Commission.  From  these  25,207,000  eggs 
were  taken  and  22,875,000  fry  were  hatched.  Of  these,  21,500,000  were  deposited  in 
Maine  waters  at  various  points.  In  1899,  36,925,000  fry  were  planted  in  Maine  waters 
by  the  Commission.  In  order  that  the  female  lobsters  may  be  secured  the  authorities 
of  Maine  permit  the  fishermen  to  catch  and  sell  "  berried  "  lobsters  to  the  Commission. 

The  collection  of  eggs  in  Maine  is  usually  made  by  the  Commission  during  the 
months  of  April,  May,  June,  and  to  about  the  middle  of  July,  depending  upon  the 
supply  to  be  had.  During  the  season  of  1899  a  small  steam  smack  was  chartered  for 
collecting  the  lobsters,  starting  from  Gloucester,  where  the  hatching  of  Maine  lobster 


260  BULLETIN    OF   THE    UNITED    STATES    FISH    COMMISSION. 

eggs  is  now  carried  on,  and  running  to  Eastport,  returning  over  the  same  route.  The 
Fish  Commission  schooner  Grampus  was  also  used  in  this  work.  The  lobsters  are 
purchased  from  fishermen,  who  receive  the  market  price  for  ordinary  lobsters,  and  as 
they  are  not  allowed  to  sell  these  lobsters  legally  for  consumption  the  sale  to  the 
Commission  materially  increases  their  financial  return*. 

In  1883  a  radical  advance  along  the  line  of  artificial  propagation  was  made,  so 
far  as  the  legislature  was  concerned,  when  the  act  incorporating  the  Samoset  Island 
Association,  of  Boothbay,  was  passed.  Section  4  of  the  charter  reads  as  follows: 

In  order  to  secure  a,  sufficient  and  regular  supply  of  lobsters  for  domestic  consumption  on  any 
land  or  islands  under  the  control  of  said  corporation,  it  may  increase  the  number  of  lobsters  within 
said  limits  by  artificial  propagation,  or  other  appropriate  acts  and  methods,  under  the  direction  of  the 
fishery  commission,  and  shall  not  be  interfered  with  by  other  parties,  but  be  protected  therein,  as  said 
fishery  commission  may  determine,  and  shall  have  the  right,  by  its  agents  and  tenants,  to  take  and 
catch  lobsters  within  300  yards  of  the  low-water  line  of  the  islands  and  lands  owned  or  leased  by  said 
corporation,  during  each  and  every  month,  for  domestic  use. 

In  1887  the  legislature  passed  an  act  granting  R.  T.  Carver  the  sole  right  to 
propagate  lobsters  in  Carver's  pond,  in  Yinal  Haven.  Mr.  Carver's  experiment  was 
a  failure,  as  he  says  the  mud  in  the  pond  was  so  filthy  that  nearly  all  the  spawn  was 
killed. 

LARGE  AND  PECULIAR  LOBSTERS. 

Since  the  inception  of  the  fishery,  stories  of  the  capture  of  lobsters  weighing  30, 
40,  and  even  50  pounds  have  been  common,  but  have  rarely-been  well  authenticated. 
Especially  is  this  the  case  in  the  early  years  of  the  fishery.  It  is  probable  that  jn  the 
transmission  of  the  stories  from  person  to  person  the  lobsters  gained  rather  than  lost 
in  size.  Among  the  most  authentic  cases  in  Maine  are  the  following: 

On  May  6,  1891,  a  male  lobster  weighing  slightly  over  23  pounds  was  taken  in 
Penobscot  Bay,  southeast  of  Moose  Point,  in  line  with  Brigadier  Island,  in  about  3£ 
fathoms  of  water,  by  Mr.  John  Condon.  The  lobster  had  tried  to  back  into  the  trap, 
but  after  getting  his  tail  through  the  funnel  he  was  unable  to  get  either  in  or  out  aud 
was  thus  captured. 

According  to  Mr.  F.  W.  Collins,  a  dealer  of  Rocklaud,  in  August,  1891,  a  lobster 
weighing  18£  pounds  was  taken  at  Blue  Hill  Falls,  in  upper  Blue  Hill  Bay,  while  in 
November,  1892,  a  female  lobster  weighing  18  pounds  was  taken  at  Green  Island. 

In  January,  1893,  Mr.  N.  F.  Trefethen,  of  Portland,  received  a  lobster  from  Vinal 
Haven  which  weighed  18  pounds. 

According  to  R.  F.  Crie  &  Sons,  of  Criehaven,  on  September  7, 1898,  a  male  lobster 
weighing  25  pounds  and  measuring  25  inches  from  the  end  of  the  nose  to  the  tip  of 
tail,  and  45  inches  including  the  claws,  was  caught  on  a  hake  trawl  by  Peter  Mitchell, 
a  fisherman.  The  trawl  was  set  about  2  miles  southeast  from  Matiuicus  Rock  Light 
Station  in  60  fathoms  of  water. 

In  August,  1899,  the  writer  saw  a  live  male  lobster  at  Peak  Island  which  measured 
44  inches  in  length  and  weighed  25  pounds,  according  to  the  statement  of  the  owner. 
It  had  been  caught  near  Monhegan  Island,  and  the  owner  was  carrying  it  from  town 
to  town  in  a  small  car,  which  he  had  built  for  it,  and  charging  a  small  fee  to  look  at  it. 

In  April,  1874,  a  female  lobster  weighing  about  2  pounds  was  caught  off  Hurri- 
cane Island.  Her  color  was  a  rich  indigo  along  the  middle  of  the  upper  part  of  the 
body,  shading  off  into  a  brighter  and  clearer  tint  on  the  sides  aud  extremities.  The 


THE    LOBSTER    FISHERY    OF    MAINE.  261 

upper  surface  of  the  large  claws  was  blue  and  purple,  faintly  mottled  with  darker 
shades,  while  underneath  was  a  delicate  cream  tint.  The  under  parts  of  the  body 
tended  also  to  melt  into  a  light  cream  color,  and  this  was  also  true  of  the  spines  and 
tubercles  of  the  shell  and  appendages. 

In  1892  a  Peak  Island  fisherman  caught  a  lobster  about  11  inches  in  length  whose 
back  was  of  an  indigo  blue,  and  which  toward  the  extremities  and  under  parts  was 
shaded  off  into  a  pure  white.  The  under  part  of  the  claw  was  also  of  a  pure  white. 

Mr.  Lewis  McDonald,  of  Portland,  has  a  pure  white  lobster  preserved  in  alcohol. 
It  was  caught  in  1887. 

A  lobster  was  caught  at  Beal  Island,  near  West  Jonesport,  which  was  about  6  or 
7  inches  in  length  and  almost  jet  black. 

A  few  bright-red  lobsters,  looking  as  though  they  had  been  boiled,  have  also 
been  taken  along  the  coast  at  various  times. 

A  lobster  was  caught  near  Long  Island,  Casco  Bay,  about  the  year  1886,  in  which 
half  of  the  body  was  light-yellow  up  to  the  middle  line  of  the  back,  while  the  other 
half  was  bright-red.  There  were  no  spots  on  the  shell. 

In  September,  1898,  Mr.  B.  T.  Carver,  of  Vinal  Haven,  had  in  his  possession  a 
female  lobster,  about  11  inches  long,  of  a  bright-red  color  all  over,  except  the  forward 
half  of  the  right  side  of  the  carapace  and  the  feeler  on  this  side,  which  were  of  the 
usual  color. 

LAWS  REGULATING   THE   FISHERY. 

In  1897  the  legislature  revised  and  consolidated  the  laws  relating  to  the  sea  and 
shore  fisheries  of  Maine,  and  below  are  given  the  sections  relating  to  the  lobster 
fishery  adopted  that  year,  together  with  the  amendments  to  the  act  adopted  in  1899, 
which  are  incorporated  herewith : 

SEC.  39.  It  is  unlawful  to  catch,  buy  or  sell,  or  expose  for  sale,  or  possess  for  any  purpose,  any 
lobsters  less  than  10£  inches  in  length,  alive  or  dead,  cooked  or  uncooked,  measured  in  manner  as 
follows:  Taking  the  length  of  the  back  of  the  lobster,  measured  from  the  bone  of  the  nose  to  the 
end  of  the  bone  of  the  middle  of  the  flipper  of  the  tail,  the  length  to  be  taken  in  a  gauge  with  a  cleat 
upon  each  end  of  the  same,  measuring  10|  inches  between  said  cleats,  with  the  lobster  laid  upon  its 
back  and  extended  upon  its  back  upon  the  gauge,  without  stretching  or  pulling,  to  the  end  of  the 
bone  of  the  middle  flipper  of  the  tail,  its  natural  length,  and  any  lobster  shorter  than  the  prescribed 
length  when  caught,  shall  be  liberated  .alive  at  the  risk  and  cost  of  the  parties  taking  them,  under  a 
penalty  of  $1  for  each  lobster  so  caught,  bought,  sold,  exposed  for  sale,  or  in  the  possession  not  so 
liberated.  The  possession  of  mutilated,  uncooked  lobsters  shall  be  prima  facie  evidence  that  they  are 
not  of  the  required  length. 

Sr.c.  40.  It  is  unlawful  to  destroy,  buy,  sell,  expose  for  sale,  or  possess  any  female  lobsters  in 
spawn  or  with  eggs  attached  at  any  season  of  the  year,  under  a  penalty  of  $10  for  each  lobster  so 
destroyed,  caught,  bought,  sold,  exposed  for  sale,  or  possessed:  Provided,  however,  If  it  appears  that 
it  was  intended  to  liberate  them  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  this  act,  the  persons  having 
such  lobsters  in  possession  shall  not  be  liable  to  any  of  the  penalties  herein  provided  for,  though  he 
may  have  failed,  for  any  cause  not  within  his  control,  to  so  liberate  them. 

Sice.  41.  It  shall  be  unlawful  to  can,  preserve,  or  pickle  lobsters  less  than  10£  inches  in  length, 
alive  or  dead,  measured  as  aforesaid;  and  for  every  lobster  canned,  preserved,  or  pickled  contrary  to 
the  provisions  of  this  section  every  person,  firm,  association,  or  corporation  so  canning,  preserving,  or 
pickling  shall  be  liable  to  a  penalty  of  ,$1  for  every  lobster  so  canned,  preserved,  or  pickled  contrary 
to  the  provisions  of  this  section,  and  a  further  penalty  of  $300  for  every  day  on  which  such  unlawful 
(•.•inning,  preserving,  or  pickling  is  carried  on. 

SKC.  42.  All  barrels,  boxes,  or  other  packages  in  transit  containing  lobsters  shall  be  marked  with 
the  word  lobsters  in  capital  letters,  at  least  1  inch  in  length,  together  with  the  full  name  of  the 
shipper.  Said  marking  shall  be  placed  in  a  plain  and  legible  manner  on  the  outside  of  such  barrel, 


262  BULLETIN    OF    THE    UNITED    STATES    FISH    COMMISSION. 

boxes,  or  other  packages;  and  in  case  of  seizure  by  any  duly  authorized  officer  of  any  barrels,  boxes, 
or  other  packages  in  transit,  containing  lobsters,  which  are  not  so  marked,  or  in  case  of  seizure  by 
such  officer  of  barrels,  boxes,  or  other  packages  in  transit  containing  lobsters  less  than  the  prescribed 
length,  such  lobsters  as  are  alive  and  less  than  the  prescribed  length  shall  be  liberated  and  all  such 
lobsters  as  are  of  the  prescribed  length  found  in  such  barrels,  boxes,  or  packages,  together  with  such 
barrels,  boxes,  and  packages,  shall  be  forfeited  and  disposed  of  under  the  provisions  of  section  47  of 
this  act. 

SEC.  43.  Every  person,  firm,  association,  or  corporation  who  ships  lobsters  without  having  the 
barrels,  boxes,  or  other  packages  in  which  the  same  are  contained  marked  as  prescribed  in  the 
previous  section  shall  upon  conviction  be  punished  by  a  fine  of  $25,  and  upon  subsequent  conviction 
thereof  by  a  fine  of  $50;  and  any  person  or  corporation  in  the  business  of  a  common  carrier  of  mer- 
chandise who  shall  carry  or  transport  from  place  to  place  lobsters  in  barrels,  boxes,  or  other  packages 
not  so  marked  shall  be  liable  to  a  penalty  of  $50  upon  such  conviction  thereof. 

SEC.  41.  All  cars  in  which  lobsters  are  kept,  and  all  lobster  cars  while  in  the  water,  shall  have 
the  name  of  the  owner  or  owners  thereof  on  the  top  of  the  car,  where  it  may  plainly  be  seen,  in  letters 
not  less  than  three-fourths  of  an  inch  in  length,  plainly  carved  or  branded  thereon,  and  all  traps,  cars, 
or  other  devices  for  the  catching  of  lobsters  shall  have,  while  in  the  water,  the  owner's  name  carved 
or  branded  in  like  manner  on  all  the  buoys  attached  to  said  traps  or  other  devices,  under  a  penalty  of 
$10  for  each  car  and  $5  for  each  trap  or  device  not  so  marked;  and  if  sufficient  proof  to  establish  the 
ownership  of  such  cars  or  traps  can  not  be  readily  obtained,  they  may  be  declared  forfeited,  subject  to 
the  provisions  of  section  47  of  this  act. 

SEC.  45.  All  persons  are  hereby  prohibited  from  setting  any  lobster  traps  within  300  feet  of  the 
mouth  or  outer  end  of  the  leaders  of  any  fish  weir,  under  a  penalty  of  $10  for  each  offense. 

SEC.  46.  Whoever  takes  up,  or  attempts  to  take  up,  or  in  any  way  knowingly  and  willfully 
interferes  with  any  lobster  trap  while  set  for  use,  without  the  authority  of  the  owner  thereof,  shall 
be  punished  by  a  fine  of  not  less  than  $20,  nor  more  than  $50;  Provided,  liowerer,  That  no  action, 
complaint,  or  indictment  shall  be  maintained  under  this  section  unless  the  name  of  the  owner  of  all 
such  traps  shall  be  carved  or  branded  in  legible  letters,  not  less  than  three-fourths  of  an  inch  in  length, 
on  all  the  buoys  connected  with  such  traps. 

SEC.  47.  When  any  lobsters  are  seized  by  virtue  of  the  provisions  of  this  act,  it  shall  be  the 
duty  of  the  officer  making  such  seizure  to  cause  such  lobsters,  so  seized,  as  he  is  not  required  by  law 
to  liberate,  together  with  the  cars,  traps,  barrels,  boxes,  or  other  packages  in  which  they  are 
contained,  to  be  appraised  within  24  hours  after  the  time  of  such  seizures  by  three  disinterested  men 
residing  in  the  county  where  such  seizure  is  made,  to  be  selected  by  him,  and  the  lobsters,  cars,  traps, 
barrels,  boxes,  or  other  packages  so  seized  and  appraised  shall  thereupon  be  sold  by  the  officer  making 
the  seizure  thereof,  at  such  time  and  in  such  manner  as  shall  by  him  be  deemed  proper.  The  officer 
making  such  seizure  and  sale  shall  within  ten  days  after  the  time  of  such  seizure  file  a  libel  in  behalf 
of  the  State  before  a  trial  justice,  or  a  judge  of  a  police  or  municipal  court  of  the  county  in  which 
such  seizure  was  made,  setting  forth  the  fact  of  such  seizure,  appraisal,  and  sale,  the  time  and  place  of 
the  seizure,  the  number  of  lobsters,  cars,  traps,  barrels,  boxes,  or  other  packages  so  seized  and  sold,  and 
the  amount  of  the  proceeds  of  such  sale;  and  such  trial  justice  or  judge  shall  appoint  a  time  and  place 
for  the  hearing  of  such  libel,  and  shall  issue  a  notice  of  the  same  to  all  persons  interested  to  appear  at 
the  time  and  place  appointed,  and  show  cause  why  the  lobsters,  cars,  traps,  barrels,  boxes,  or  other 
packages  so  seized  and  sold,  and  the  proceeds  of  such  sale,  should  not  be  declared  forfeited,  which 
notice  shall  be  served  upon  the  owner,  if  known,  and  by  causing  an  attested  copy  of  such  libel  and 
notice  to  be  posted  in  two  public  and  conspicuous  places  in  the  town  in  which  the  seizure  was  made, 
seven  days  at  least  before  the  time  of  hearing. 

If  any  person  appears  at  the  time  and  place  of  hearing,  and  claims  that  the  lobsters,  cars,  traps, 
barrels,  boxes,  or  other  packages  so  seized  and  sold  were  not  liable  to  forfeiture  at  the  time  of  seizure, 
and  that  he  was  entitled  thereto,  the  trial  justice  or  judge  shall  hear  and  determine  the  cause,  and  if 
he  shall  decide  that  such  lobsters,  cars,  traps,  barrels,  boxes,  or  other  packages,  at  the  time  of  seizure, 
were  not  liable  to  forfeiture,  and  that  the  claimant  was  entitled  thereto,  he  shall  order  the  proceeds 
of  such  sale  to  be  paid  to  the  claimant;  if  no  claimant  shall  appear,  or  if  such  trial  justice  or  judge 
shall  decide  that  such  lobsters,  traps,  cars,  barrels,  boxes,  or  other  packages,  at  the  time  of  the 
seizure,  were  liable  to  forfeiture,  or  that  the  claimant  was  not  entitled  thereto,  he  shall  decree  a 
forfeiture  of  such  lobsters,  cars,  traps,  barrels,  boxes,  or  other  packages,  and  of  the  proceeds  of  sale, 
and  shall  order  the  proceeds  of  sale,  after  deducting  all  lawful  charges,  to  be  paid  to  the  county 


THE    LOBSTER    FISHERY    OF    MAINE. 


263 


treasurer,  and  by  him  to  the  State  treasurer,  to  be  used  as  directed  in  section  48  of  this  act,  and  shall 
render  judgment  against  the  claimant  for  costs  to  be  taxed  as  in  civil  suits,  and  issue  execution 
therefor  against  him  in  favor  of  the  State,  which  costs,  when  collected,  shall  be  paid  in  to  the 
treasurer  of  the  county,  and  by  him  to  the  treasurer  of  the  State,  to  be  added  and  made  a  part  of  the 
appropriation  for  sea  and  shore  fisheries.  The  claimant  shall  have  the  right  of  appeal  to  the  next 
supreme  judicial  court  or  superior  court  in  the  county,  upon  recognizing  and  paying  the  fees  for 
copies  and  entry  as  in  cases  of  appeal  in  criminal  cases.  The  fees  and  costs  of  seizure,  appraisal,  and 
sale,  and  in  all  other  proceedings  in  the  case,  shall  be  as  provided  by  law  in  criminal  cases,  and  in 
case  a  forfeiture  shall  be  declared,  shall  be  paid  out  of  the  proceeds  of  the  sale,  otherwise  shall  be 
paid  by  the  county,  as  in  criminal  cases. 

SEC.  48.  All  fines  and  penalties  under  this  act  may  be  recovered  by  complaint,  indictment,  or 
action  of  debt  brought  in  the  county  where  the  offense  is  committed.  The  action  of  debt  shall  be 
brought  in  the  name  of  the  commissioner  of  sea  and  shore  fisheries,  and  all  offenses  under  or  violations 
of  the  provisions  of  this  statute  may  be  settled  by  the  commissioner  of  sea  and  shore  fisheries,  upon 
such  terms  and  conditions  as  he  deems  advisable.  All  fines,  penalties,  and  collections  under  this  act 
shall  be  paid  into  the  treasury  of  the  county  where  the  offense  is  committed,  and  by  such  treasurer  to 
the  State  treasurer,  to  be  added  to  and  made  a  part  of  the  appropriation  for  sea  and  shore  fisheries. 

SEC.  49.  The  commissioner  of  sea  and  shore  fisheries  may  take  fish  of  any  kind,  when,  where,  and 
in  such  manner  as  he  chooses,  for  the  purposes  of  science,  of  cultivation,  and  of  dissemination,  and  he 
may  grant  written  permits  to  other  persons  to  take  fish  for  the  same  purposes,  and  may  introduce  or 
permit  to  be  introduced  any  kind  of  fish  into  any  waters. 

The  following  special  act  was  passed  at  the  1899  session  of  the  legislature: 

SEC.  1.  No  person  shall  take,  catch,  kill,  or  destroy  any  lobsters  between  the  1st  day  of  July 
and  the  1st  day  of  September  in  each  year,  under  a  penalty  of  $1  for  each  lobster  so  taken,  caught, 
killed,  or  destroyed,  in  the  waters  of  Pigeon  Hill  Bay,  so  called,  in  the  towns  of  Millbridge  and  Steuben, 
within  the  following  points,  namely:  Commencing  at  Woods  Pond  Point,  on  the  west  side  of  Pigeon 
Hill  Bay;  thence  easterly  to  the  Nubble,  on  Little  Bois  Bubert  Island;  thence  by  the  shore  to  the 
head  of  Bois  Bubert  Island ;  thence  northerly  to  Joe  Dyers  Point,  so  called ;  thence  by  the  shore  around 
Long  Cove  and  the  creek ;  thence  to  the  head  of  Pigeon  Hill  Bay  aforesaid ;  thence  by  the  shore  to 
the  first-mentioned  bound. 

SEC.  2.  All  fines  and  penalties  under  this  act  may  be  recovered  as  provided  in  section  48  of 
chapter  285  of  the  Public  Laws  of  1897. 

IMPORTATIONS  OF  LIVE  LOBSTERS. 

For  some  years  there  have  been  considerable  importations  of  live  lobsters  into 
Maine  from  the  British  Provinces,  particularly  from  New  Brunswick;  previous  to  the 
closing  up  of  the  canning  industry  they  were  more  numerous  than  at  present,  as  con- 
siderable numbers  were  brought  in  by  boat  fishermen  for  the  canneries  at  or  near 
Eastport.  The  importations  are  now  made  by  the  dealers,  who  frequently  send  their 
own  smacks  into.the  L3rovinces  for  a  supply  when  lobsters  are  scarce  in  the  State. 

The  following  table  shows  the  importations  into  the  State,  by  customs  districts, 
for  the  fiscal  year  1898: 


18 

0. 

Pounds. 

Value. 

150 

$12 

246  991 

43  5(17 

58SBL".:: 

700 

91 

xldy 

327  481 

35  373 

(1  Falinoiitli  

214,  075 

13,  037 

Wiildolmro 

43  264 

3,211 

NViscassft 

28  000 

1  120 

264 


BULLETIN   OF    THE    UNITED    STATES   FISH    COMMISSION. 


STATISTICAL   SUMMARY  OF   THE   LOBSTER   INDUSTRY   IN   MAINE   IN   1898. 

The  following  tables  show  the  statistical  data  relating  to  the  fishery  for  1898, 
except  the  wholesale  trade  of  Eockland  and  Portland,  which  is  shown  elsewhere. 

While  Hancock  County  leads  in  the  number  of  vessel  fishermen  with  173,  Knox 
County  has  the  largest  number  of  persons  transporting,  78.  In  the  boat  fishermen 
Washington  County  leads  with  639,  followed  closely  by  Kiiox  County  with  GOG.  In 
the  total  number  of  persons  employed  Knox  County  leads  with  749,  while  Washington 
and  Hancock  counties  have  very  nearly  the  same  number,  695  and  683,  respectively. 
The  total  number  of  persons  employed  was  3,304. 

Hancock  County  leads  in  the  number  of  vessels  fishing,  78,  valued  at  $33,000, 
while  Knox  County  leads  in  the  number  of  transporting  vessels,  33,  valued  at  $51,900, 
and  is  also  second  in  the  number  of  fishing  vessels.  Cumberland  County  is  second 
in  the  number  of  transporting  vessels.  This  county  has  more  steam  transporting 
vessels  than  all  the  other  counties  combined,  8,  valued  at  $31,200.  In  the  matter  of 
boats  engaged  in  the  shore  fishery  Knox  County  also  has  the  preeminence,  with  696 
boats,  valued  at  $37,175.  Lincoln,  Hancock,  and  Washington  counties  follow  in  the 
order  named,  and  are  all  three  very  close  to  each  other. 

Hancock  County  leads  in  the  number  of  pots  used  in  the  vessel  fishery,  7,146, 
while  Knox  County  is  second.  Knox  County  leads  in  the  number  of  pots  used  in 
shore  fisheries  with  39,040,  valued  at  $39,030,  and  is  followed  by  Lincoln  County  with 
29,190  pots,  valued  at  $29,190. 

In  the  matter  of  shore  property  Lincoln  County  leads  with  $16,917,  although  if 
the  property  used  in  the  wholesale  trade  had  been  included  in  this  table  Cumberland 
County  would  lead.  In  the  total  investment  Knox  County  leads  Avith  $169,056. 
Hancotk  County  comes  second,  with  $136,651,  followed  by  Washington  and  Cumber- 
land counties,  respectively.  The  total  investment  for  the  whole  State  is  $616,668. 

In  vessel  catch  Hancock  County  leads  with  444,704  pounds,  valued  at  $47,101. 
Knox  County  is  second  with  286,688  pounds,  valued  at  $29,395.  In  the  boat  catch 
Hancock  County  also  leads  with  2,198,518  pounds,  valued,  at  $204,390,  while  Knox 
County  is  a  close  second  with  2,165,256  pounds,  valued  at  $186,968.  Lincoln  County 
is  third  and  Washington  County  fourth.  The  total  catch  for  the  State  is  11,183,294 
pounds,  valued  at  $992,855. 

Table  showing  by  counties  the  number  of  persons  employed  in  the  lobster  fishery  of  Maine  in  189S. 


County. 

Vessel 
fisher- 
men. 

Trans- 
porters. 

Boat  fish- 
ermen. 

Shores- 
men. 

Total. 

AVashiu"ton 

30 

19 

639 

7 

695 

Hancock  

173 

27 

480 

3 

683 

Penobscot  

2 

2 

Waldo 

19 

55 

78 

606 

10 

749  ' 

Lincoln  • 

12 

11 

447 

474 

2 

98 

10 

45 

379 

6 

440 

York 

4 

3 

135 

14° 

Total  

286 

185 

2  803 

30 

3  304 

THE    LOBSTER    FISHERY    OF    MAINE. 


265 


Table  showing  by  counties  the  resseU,  boats,  apparatus,  and  shore  property  employed  in  the  lobster  fishery  of 

Maine  in  1898. 


Items. 

Washington. 

Hancock. 

Penobacot. 

Waldo. 

Knox. 

No. 

Value. 

No.       Value. 

No. 

Value. 

No. 

Value. 

No. 

Value. 

10 
76 

$5,850 

78 
593 

$33,000 

1 
5 

$350 

28 

184 

$13,250 

"3,"  923" 
18,000 

"5."  175" 
33,900 

Outfit  

1,  169 

4,995 

15 

Vessels  transporting  —steam  

i 

34 

8,350 

2 

26 

6,500 

3 
31 

Outfit  

1,835 

1,950 
9,900 

5 
94 

R,500 

8 
99 

30 

574 

•   Tonnage  

Outfit                       .                  .     . 

790 

885 

4,950 
34,290 
3,  285 
7,146 
23,  880 
r.  H7n 

4,881 

Boats   transporting  (steamers  and 

259 

209 
1,710 
22,  390 

1,100 
56,  170 
2,390 
1,710 
22,  373 
4,  015 

1 
225 

250 
7,146 
23,  880 

Sailboats  tishin"- 

212 

484 
4,140 
39,  040 

31,760 
5,415 
4,140 
39,  030 
9,582 

Rowboats  tishing  

82 

""82" 

17 

$255 

Pots  used  in  vessel  fisheries 

Pots  used  in  shore  fisheries...  

575 

575 

Total 

114,252 

136.651  j  

447 

932 

169,  056 

Items. 

Lincoln. 

Sagadahoc. 

Cumberland. 

York. 

Total.* 

No. 

Value. 

No. 

Value. 

No. 

Value. 

No. 

Value. 

No. 

Value. 

6 
42 

$J,200 

5 
30 

$1,950 

a 

16 

$1,600 
225 

130 
946 

$60,  200 

ii,2si 

64,050 

Outfit      

619 

335 

31,  200 

8 
109 

14 

200 

Outfit 

5  484 

1  4,  444 
70,850 

4 
73 

6,200 

10 
173 

11,800 

2 
14 

550 

59 

1  027 

877 

.    1,814 

65 

9,312 

8,250 
151,040 
21,532 
14,  238 
141,  539 
49,  932 

J'xiats  transporting  (steamers  and 
launches  under  5  tons)  
Sailboats  fishin<*        

1 
132 
351 
510 
29,190 

1,100 
12,  975 
3,571 
510 
29,  190 
16,917 

1 

1 
90 

$1,100 
125 
1,185 

4 

i,  0:10 

1,668 
14,238 
141,740 

154 
186 
400 
17,932 

13,635 
3,571 
400 
17,  932 
9,416 

47 
81 
250 
6,595 

2,085 
1,860 
250 
6,595 
3,300 

Pots  used  in  vessel  fisheries  

2,138 

1,964 
730 

Total  



70,  159 



5,104 



97,  537 



16,  530 

*616,668 

The  property,  cash  capital,  etc.,  in  the  wholesale  trade  of  Rockland  and  Portland  is  shown  elsewhere. 


Table  showing  by  counties,  vessels,  and  boats  the  yield  in  the  lobster  fishery  of  Maine  in  189S. 


Counties. 

Vessel  catch. 

Boat  catch. 

Total. 

Pounds. 

Value. 

Pounds. 

Value. 

Pounds. 

Value. 

82,809 
444,  704 
1,264 

$7,  312 
47,  101 
118 

1,  545,  895 
2,  198,  518 

$132,  877 
204,  390 

1,628,704 
2,  643,  222 
1,264 
17,766 
2,  451,  944 
2,  155,  517 
384,900 
1,423,591 
476,  386 

$140,  189 
251,491 
118 
1,713 
216,  363 
185,  774 
30,  392 
120,616 
46.199 

992,  855 

Hancock 

\Vil<l<> 

17,  766 
2,  165,  256 
2,  106,  645 
384,  900 
1,  401,  J38 
455,  145 

1,713 
186,968 
181,017 
30,  392 
118,616 
44,358 

900,  931 

Knox 

286,  688 
48,  872 

29,  395 
4,157 

Lincoln 

Cumberland 

22,  253 

2,000 
1,841 

York 

Total 

907,  831 

91,  924 

10,  275,  463 

11,183,294 

225O71 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 

BIOMED  LID. 


"W%1 

Qj^^oHic.al  Liu! 


Form  L9-40m-5,'67(H2161s8)4939 


UNIVERSITY  of  CALIFORNIA 

AT 
LOS  ANGELES 


AA    000651  081    2 


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